BOSTON (AP) 鈥 The question of whether a 2-year-old beaver named Nibi can stay with the rescuers she has known since she was a baby or must be released into the wild was resolved Thursday when the Massachusetts governor stepped in to protect Nibi.
The state issued a to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue for Nibi to remain at the rehabilitation facility and serve as an educational animal.
鈥淣ibi has captured the hearts of many of our residents, mine included,鈥 Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said Thursday. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to share that we have issued a permit for Nibi to remain in Newhouse鈥檚 care, continuing to educate the public about this important species.鈥
Nibi鈥檚 fate had made it all the way to the state courts before Healey stepped in.
A judge on Tuesday had said that Nibi would be allowed to stay in her home at the rescue center in Chelmsford, located northwest of Boston. A hearing had been set for Friday in a case filed by the rescuers against MassWildlife, the state鈥檚 division of fisheries and wildlife, to stop the release.
Nibi鈥檚 rescuers at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue said on their Facebook page that they were 鈥渂eyond grateful鈥 for Healey鈥檚 decision.
Nibi has been a hit on the rescue group鈥檚 social media since she was a baby, and posts about her impending release garnered thousands of comments.
An online petition to save Nibi from being released into the wild has received over 25,000 signatures, lawmakers have weighed in, and earlier this week Healey pledged to make sure Nibi is protected.
鈥淲e all care about what is best for the beaver known as Nibi and all wild animals throughout our state,鈥 Mark Tisa, director of MassWildlife, said in a statement Thursday. 鈥淲e share the public鈥檚 passion for wildlife and invite everyone to learn more about beavers and their important place in our environment.鈥
Jane Newhouse, the rescue group鈥檚 founder and president, has 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 unsuccessful. After that, attempts to get her to bond with other beavers also didn鈥檛 work.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very difficult to consider releasing her when she only seems to like people and seems to have no interest in being wild or bonding with any of her own species,鈥 she said.
Nibi has a large enclosure with a pool at the rescue operation, and will also wander in its yard and rehabilitation space, Newhouse said. 鈥淪he pretty much has full run of the place. Everybody on my team is in love with her,鈥 she said.
Newhouse said she had asked MassWildlife if she could get a permit for Nibi to become an educational beaver, allowing her to take the beaver to schools, libraries and town halls. Newhouse said she feared a release would mean certain death for her beloved 鈥渄iva鈥 beaver, who doesn鈥檛 know how to live in the wild.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 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 of her food before winter sets in,鈥 she said.
Newhouse said that beavers usually leave their parents between the ages of 2 and 3, so it鈥檚 possible that over the next year Nibi will show more interest in wanting to be in the wild. But unless that happens, she wants to keep her safe.
Beavers are common and abundant throughout Massachusetts. A keystone species, beavers play an important role in fostering biodiversity of ecosystems, according to state officials.
By damming rivers and streams, and forming shallow ponds, beavers are vital for creating healthy wetlands that support a tremendous diversity of plants, bugs, and wildlife, and store floodwaters during storms.
They are also North America鈥檚 largest native rodents, weighing between 35 and 80 pounds (16 and 36 kilograms) and reaching 2鈥3 feet (0.6-0.9 meters) in length as adults.
Adult beavers have very few predators and can live for 20 years or more.
In almost all cases, it鈥檚 best to leave wildlife alone, officials said, so they don't come to rely on humans for food and shelter.
