Tuesday was meant to be deadline day for Nibi, as the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife has told the wildlife rescue organization that has been caring for the 2-year-old beaver that it will be released into the wild on Tuesday morning.
However, the state told NBC10 Boston Tuesday morning that they would not be coming for Nibi at 9:30 a.m. as originally scheduled and don't have plans to return for her. Exactly what that means for her future was not immediately clear.
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.
Jane Newhouse said she rescued the one-pound newborn beaver on the side of the road in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, back in 2022. For the past two years, 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 Nibi was 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."
Newhouse posted an update on the situation on the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue Facebook page on Tuesday morning.
"The one time that people all over America rallied to save one beaver...," she began. "We posted what was happening on Facebook and before we knew it we were contacted by all the news outlets, multiple state reps, multiple lawyers, wildlife rehabbers from all over the country, animal control officers and more, all showing support and asking what they can do to help... I don't think I have ever felt so broken, yet so uplifted, all at the same time."
State Rep. Marc Lombardo, of Billerica, posted on X on Monday night saying he's asked Gov. Maura 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."
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.
