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.<\/p>\n
The court order will remain in effect until a full hearing takes place. Nibi\u2019s 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. \u201cSo many people have fallen in love with Nibi,\u201d Newhouse told WBZ-TV.<\/p>\n
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. \u201cNibi is going to have to figure [winter] out for the very first time,\u201d Newhouse explained. \u201cAnd with it being October, if Nibi doesn\u2019t get it right the first time, I don\u2019t think she\u2019s going to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teper Legal, a firm specializing in animal law, filed the injunction that was granted by the court. The ruling specifically prohibits Nibi\u2019s removal from the rescue or her release into the wild for now. Judge Campbell\u2019s decision is meant to keep Nibi at the rescue until further hearings can determine her fate.<\/p>\n
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. \u201cIn wildlife rehabilitation, when you\u2019re raising a baby mammal of any kind, you want them to be with others of their own kind because otherwise they\u2019re getting used to just people, and that\u2019s not good for them,\u201d said Newhouse.<\/p>\n
MassWildlife, however, disagreed with Newhouse\u2019s 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. \u201cThe 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,\u201d MassWildlife emphasized, pointing to state regulations and the terms of Newhouse\u2019s permit.<\/p>\n
Newhouse expressed frustration with the situation, saying, \u201cI shouldn\u2019t 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.\u201d For now, Nibi remains at the rescue, with her future depending on upcoming court decisions.<\/p>\n