A squirrel named Peanut who was catapulted to the heights of Internet celebrity was euthanized, New York authorities said Friday, biting a government employee on the way out.

With 537,000 followers on Instagram, the domesticated black squirrel had fans around the world who delighted in his exploits, such as nibbling waffles and pulling off tiny costumes.

New Yorker Mark Longo said he rescued the animal after witnessing its mother being killed by a car and bottle-fed the baby squirrel before attempting to release it into the wild.

However, the animal lost part of its tail and returned to Longo, living with him for seven years and appearing in posts on the Peanut_the_squirrel12 Instagram account.

“Internet, you WON. You took one of the most amazing animals away from me because of your selfishness. To the group of people who called (the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation), there is a special place in hell for you,” Longo wrote in an Instagram post.

He said he was “shocked, disbelieving and disgusted…for the last seven years Peanut has been my best friend.”

The Chemung County Department of Health and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said in a statement Friday that Peanut was illegally possessed along with a raccoon living at Longo’s home and euthanized to test for rabies.

“On October 30, DEC seized a raccoon and a squirrel that were sharing a residence with humans, posing a risk of human exposure to rabies,” the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said.

“In addition, one person involved in the investigation was bitten by the squirrel. To test for rabies, both animals were euthanized.”

The department urged anyone exposed to the animals to seek medical attention.

Longo wrote that “the fight continues” and urged supporters to donate to his bills and animal shelter plans.

gw/acb