Rescue Beaver May Stay with Her Caretakers After Legal Victory

Nibi, a rescue beaver, may get to stay with the people who have cared for her after a Massachusetts judge granted an emergency injunction on Tuesday, temporarily preventing her removal from Newhouse Wildlife Rescue. MassWildlife officials had planned to take Nibi from the Chelmsford-based rescue at 9:30 AM, but a restraining order issued by Associate Superior Court Justice Cathleen Campbell halted that process for the time being. The court order will remain in effect until a full hearing takes place. Nibi’s journey to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue began in 2022 when Jane Newhouse found her as a tiny, orphaned beaver weighing just one pound on the side of a highway. Since then, Nibi has become a social media sensation, charming thousands of people. “So many people have fallen in love with Nibi,” Newhouse told WBZ-TV.

Now two years old, Nibi has never experienced life in the wild, sparking concerns about her ability to survive without human care. These concerns helped generate over 20,000 signatures on a petition advocating for her to remain at the rescue. “Nibi is going to have to figure [winter] out for the very first time,” Newhouse explained. “And with it being October, if Nibi doesn’t get it right the first time, I don’t think she’s going to make it.”

Teper Legal, a firm specializing in animal law, filed the injunction that was granted by the court. The ruling specifically prohibits Nibi’s removal from the rescue or her release into the wild for now. Judge Campbell’s decision is meant to keep Nibi at the rescue until further hearings can determine her fate.

Efforts to reintroduce Nibi to other beavers at five months old proved unsuccessful. By that time, Nibi had already formed strong attachments to humans and refused to interact with other rescue beavers. Normally, baby beavers are social creatures, and they rely on their families for development. “In wildlife rehabilitation, when you’re raising a baby mammal of any kind, you want them to be with others of their own kind because otherwise they’re getting used to just people, and that’s not good for them,” said Newhouse.

MassWildlife, however, disagreed with Newhouse’s approach, stating that the goal of licensed rehabilitators is to prepare wildlife for reintroduction into their natural environment. In June, they informed the rescue that Nibi was healthy enough to be released. “The role of licensed wildlife rehabilitators is to care for sick and injured wildlife so that animals can be released back into the wild as soon as possible,” MassWildlife emphasized, pointing to state regulations and the terms of Newhouse’s permit.

Newhouse expressed frustration with the situation, saying, “I shouldn’t be working against the state to try and save an animal, especially a keystone species. We should all be working together. We should be on the same team.” For now, Nibi remains at the rescue, with her future depending on upcoming court decisions.

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