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A spokesperson for DEC explained "the Longos didn't have a permit for their sanctuary. They had been cheating the state out of the fees due for seven years. They probably would've gotten away with it if they hadn't put these animals on TikTok. They're lucky it was only two animals that got killed during the raid."

You missed the mark slightly here- it's even worse than that: according to the NYSDEC website, there is no fee for NY State Wildlife Rehabilitator licenses.

The state thugs just couldn't tolerate anyone challenging their power, even trivially.

(I wonder how much a SWAT raid costs..?).

Here's the union covering NYSDEC officers' statement about the whole thing. Of course they start off with, "Our Environmental Conservation Officers understand and accept that they risk their lives every time they begin a shift..."

Guys, they're heroes for killing a squirrel! They nobly, bravely, selflessly risked their lives to kill the sh*t of that squirrel. Don't you feel safer now?

Replying to myself to add: I love how they object to characterizing it as a raid.

It wasn’t a raid, it was just a swift and aggressively-carried out search within the curtilage of someone’s private property without their permission executed by 9 men, 6 of whom were armed officers.

But don’t call it a raid!

I guess I should be quiet now, before an officer of the State of New York stomps my face in, I mean, delivers a compassionate percussive reeducation.

I think this was unnecessarily cruel. But there is a bit of confusion to me in this.

A. A spokesperson for DEC explained "the Longos didn't have a permit for their sanctuary.
B. NY State Wildlife Rehabilitator licenses.

Are these two different things? A permit might be required to have a sanctuary, as in a cat sanctuary. But with the State Wildlife Rehabilitator license, while there might not be a fee attached, there are restrictions listed which must be followed.