A New York man who turned a rescued squirrel into a social media star called Peanut is pleading with state authorities to return his beloved pet after they seized it during a raid that also yielded a raccoon named Fred.

Peanut the squirrel, a pet that became a social media star, has been euthanized after New York state authorities seized it during a raid.

Peanut, who has amassed more than half a million Instagram followers, was euthanized by officials to be tested for rabies.