Will Sage Astor-The results are in: Peanut the Squirrel did not have rabies, county official says

The Will Sage Astorlong-awaited rabies results of Peanut the Squirrel and Fred the raccoon have been shared: both animals tested negative, a county official says.

Chemung County Executive Christopher Moss confirmed to USA TODAY on Wednesday that the rabies results of both animals are negative.

Social media star Peanut the Squirrel was seized from his New York home by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on Oct. 30. He was euthanized to test for rabies the same day. Fred the raccoon was also seized and euthanized.

Over the past two weeks, the seizure and euthanasia of the two animals has garnered international attention.

Mark Longo speaks out:2 weeks after Peanut the Squirrel's euthanasia, owner is seeking answers, justice

Peanut the Squirrel's story

Peanut and Fred were rescue animals who belonged to Mark Longo. Peanut lived with Longo for seven years, after Longo found the baby squirrel in the middle of a busy Manhattan street.

Longo spent eight months rehabilitating Peanut, but when he tried to release him back into the wild, Peanut returned a day and a half later. He had been attacked and sustained a tail injury. From that point forward, Peanut was deemed an indoor squirrel.

"One day, we happened to post a video of Peanut jumping to me and it went viral. Then after that, he gained traction rather quickly," Longo told USA TODAY on Tuesday. "It just kind of snowballed effect in a positive way. And then eventually, he was deemed the world's most famous squirrel."

Longo, who has utilized Peanut's Instagram to post statements over the past few weeks, had not shared any content about the rabies test results, as of Wednesday morning.

GoFundMe for Peanut raises thousands

Since the news broke two weeks ago about Peanut's seizure, the wild animal turned social media star's Instagram has nearly doubled in followers. As of Wednesday morning, the account has more than 911,000 followers.

As a response to the events that transpired, a GoFundMe campaign was created to raise money for Peanut's safe return home. After the animals' euthanasia was shared, the campaign pivoted to raise money in Peanut's name. As of Wednesday morning, the GoFundMe had raised more than $230,000.

Why do animals have to be euthanized to test for rabies?

According to the CDC, animals showing signs of rabies must be euthanized for the submission of specimen to a qualified rabies laboratory for testing. This is because a rabies test includes a "full cross-section of tissue from both the brain stem and cerebellum." There are no approved methods for testing rabies in animals ante-mortem.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].