Officials released a timeline of the decision to euthanize the squirrel, whose confiscation led to outrage from some on the right and death threats to those deemed responsible.

On Oct. 30 both Peanut and Fred were confiscated by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, and later both animals were euthanized in order to be tested for rabies. Both animals tested negative for the disease.

P’Nut the squirrel did not have rabies, tests show, after he was seized from his owners and decapitated. The furry creature became a symbol of government overreach to supporters after being taken from an animal sanctuary in upstate New York and euthanised last month.