The fate of Nibi the beaver lands in court as rescuers try to stop her release into the wild
Whether a two-year-old beaver named Nibi should be allowed to stay with the rescuers she has known since childhood or released into the wild as winter approaches in Massachusetts has ended up in court — and has caused such an uproar that even the governor has intervened.
“To literally see people from all over the world coming together to protect this beaver is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life,” said Adam Teper, an attorney representing Nibi rescuers.
A judge said Tuesday that Nibi will be allowed to stay at her home at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford, northwest of Boston, for the time being. A hearing is scheduled for Friday in the case the rescuers filed against MassWildlife, the state fisheries and wildlife department, to stop the release.
Nibi has been a hit on the rescue group’s social media since she was a child, and posts about her impending release attracted thousands of comments. An online petition to save Nibi from release has received more than 25,000 signatures. Lawmakers have also done their part, and this week Governor Maura Healey pledged to ensure Nibi is protected.
Jane Newhouse, the rescue group’s founder and president, said that after Nibi was found on the side of the road, they tried to reunite her with nearby beavers who could have been her parents, but were unable to do so. After that, attempts to bond her with other beavers didn’t help.
“It’s very difficult to consider releasing her when she only seems to love people and has no interest in being wild or bonding with her own kind,” Newhouse said.
Nibi has a large enclosure with a pool at the rescue and will also roam around the garden and rehabilitation area, Newhouse said. “She’s pretty much in complete charge of the place. Everyone on my team is in love with her,” she said.
Newhouse said she asked MassWildlife if she could get a permit for Nibi to become an educational beaver, which would allow her to bring the beaver to schools, libraries and town halls. But, she said, with the recent denial of that permission came Nibi’s ordered release.
MassWildlife did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Newhouse said she fears a release would mean certain death for her beloved “diva” beaver, who currently doesn’t know how to live in the wild.
“It doesn’t give her much time to figure out how to build a lodge for the first time, how to build dams for the first time, how to store all her food before winter comes,” she said.
Newhouse said beavers usually leave their parents between the ages of 2 and 3, so it’s possible Nibi will show more interest in the wild in the coming year. But unless that happens, she wants to keep her safe.
“She loves her life here,” Newhouse said. “She’s spoiled rotten, and she has lots of room to run around and her own little pond, all the food, fruit, vegetables, nuts and berries she wants.”