‘We're going to protect Nibi': Gov. Healey says she paused plan to release beaver into the wild

Tuesday was meant to be deadline day for Nibi, as the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife told the wildlife rescue organization that has been caring for the 2-year-old beaver that it would be released into the wild.

However, the state said Tuesday morning that they would not be coming for Nibi at 9:30 a.m. as originally scheduled. Exactly what that means for her long-term future was not immediately clear.

Jane Newhouse, who rescued the one-pound newborn beaver on the side of the road in Sturbridge back in 2022, said in an update on Facebook that MassWildlife had informed her in an email that they will not be taking Nibi on Tuesday. She added that an emergency injunction has been filed against the state, and she is scheduled to appear in Lowell Superior Court on Friday.

Gov. Maura Healey pledged to "protect Nibi" during a media availability Tuesday, saying she halted MassWildlife's plan to release the animal into the wild.

"I know from my own team about Nibi the beaver, and I can tell you this -- we're going to do everything we can to protect Nibi, and I appreciate those who care for wildlife -- especially wildlife when they've been injured and rescued -- and I appreciate the folkls at MassWildlife too, whose job is to make sure wer'e looking after and protecting wildlife."

"We're going to protect Nibi and make sure that Nibi is taken care of," she added. "There was talk about releasing Nibi into the wild and I heard about that and said, 'No, we're going to pause on that and evaluate what's best for Nibi.'"

This latest news comes after over 15,000 people signed a Change.org petition seeking to block the beaver's release into the wild.

"Nibi was raised under human care and forcing her into the wild could put her at serious risk, a risk we consider not only unnecessary, but also potentially disastrous," the Change.org petition reads.

Since its rescue in 2022, the beaver has lived at the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford. She was the only orphaned beaver in New England for the five months after being rescued, which made it difficult for her to bond with other rodents.

The trouble for Newhouse started when she tried to apply with MassWildlife for Nibi to become an educational beaver. She was informed that not only was Nibi's request revoked but that the 2-year-old beaver would need to be released back into the wild -- a problem for Nibi who hasn't got along with other Beavers in the past.

"I just heard back last week with the denial of my request and then an email saying that they’d be contacting me to release her soon,” said Newhouse. "[Nibi] has no idea she's going to be picked up tomorrow and dropped off somewhere she's never been."

State Rep. Marc Lombardo, of Billerica, posted on X on Monday night saying he asked Healey to intervene and keep Nibi from being released into the wild.

"I write to you at this late hour to urgently and respectfully request an immediate delay in plans to remove Nibi the Beaver from custody of the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue and subsequently release her to the wild, which is scheduled for tomorrow morning, October 1st, 2024," he wrote in a letter to Healey. "I understand the important goal of animal rescue and rehabilitation services in Massachusetts to rehabilitate and release animals back to their natural habitat, a goal which I support. As with all governmental objectives, there is a right way and there can be a wrong way to achieve stated goals. In the case of Nibi the Beaver, I am deeply concerned that a release back to the wild at this time of the year is ill conceived and will put the animal's life in danger."

Lombardo asked the governor and other state officials to delay Nibi's release and seek the advice of biologists and aquatic species specialists to create a plan to ensure that the beaver's release is at an ideal time and an ideal situation that allows her the best chance for successful adaptation to her natural habitat.

"There is no urgent need to return Nibi to the wild on October 1, 2024," he said. "Please exercise discretion and an abundance of caution to ensure that Nibi's return to the wild is safe, deliberate, and enables the animal to thrive in the best conditions possible."

Newhouse said in her Facebook post that Sen. Barr Finegold and Reps. Colleen Garry, James Arciero and Simon Cataldo are also advocating for Nibi.

Healey said Tuesday that she had not seen Lombardo's letter yet.

MassWildlife told NBC10 Boston Monday that Newhouse was informed back in June that Nibi would need to be released saying, “Wild animals like this one belong in the wild, and releasing them back into their natural habitat enables them to lead fulfilling lives and contribute to the ecosystem.”

But Newhouse disputed that statement in a Facebook post Tuesday morning, saying, "This is absolutely not true. They didn't tell me to release Nibi until a few says ago. Releasing her in June would have given her a much better chance of survival."

Newhouse has said she plans on exhausting all of her options to make sure Nibi stays safe, even if it means she loses her permit.

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