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.

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. The animal's owner, Mark Longo, said he would file legal action ...