Peanut the squirrel, the Instagram-famous rodent whose killing by New York State environmental officers became a brief election flashpoint, did not have rabies after all, officials have said.

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

Chemung County has been at the epicenter of a heated controversy that has made national headlines, after the seizure of two wild animals living in a home in Pine City.