TikTok’s ‘Squirrel Dad’

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We need to talk about TikTok’s ‘Squirrel Dad’ serving equal parts nuts and meat.

By Pink News Editors

RuPaul may have legions of squirrel friends, but Mark Longo is more than content with just one.

The New York-based engineer has become an unlikely TikTok sensation by documenting his unique relationship with Peanut the squirrel, though some fans appear to be scratching multiple itches as they follow the duo’s exploits.

As one gay fan put it in the comments, “Come for the nuts, stay for the meat.”

We don’t know how Longo identifies, but he doesn’t appear to mind the attention.

Sadly, this “squirrel dad” initially bonded with Peanut under unfortunate circumstances. Longo witnessed the squirrel’s mom get hit by a car, leaving baby Peanut orphaned. Fearing it wouldn’t survive on its own, he took in the animal and raised it over the next eight months.

When Longo decided Peanut was ready to return to the wild, Peanut had other ideas.

“I released him in the backyard, and a day and a half later, I found him sitting on my porch, missing half his tail. So here I am, balling my eyes out, like I failed you as your human,” he told USA Today. “And I kind of opened the door, he ran inside, and that was the last of Peanut’s wildlife career.”

That was five years ago, and the two have been inseparable since. Along the way, they’ve attracted millions of fans.

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