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.

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.