The controversy over Peanut, the pet squirrel and social media sensation seized by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and euthanized last week, has raised questions about who can and should handle wildlife in New York.

Two days after he was seized from his home in New York, Peanut the Squirrel has been euthanized. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Chemung County Department of Health announced through a statement on Friday afternoon that both a squirrel and raccoon were confiscated from a residence on Wednesday had been euthanized to test for rabies.

A man who took in an orphaned squirrel and made it a social media star says New York state’s decision to seize and euthanize the animal won’t go without a response