Turns out, Nibi the beaver won't have to learn how to live in the wild on its own after all.
The beloved animal, which has been in the care of Massachusetts' Newhouse Wildlife Rescue for two years, started the week with an eviction order — the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife said it would have to go back to the wild on Tuesday.
But after Gov. Maura Healey paused that plan, she decided to let Nibi stay at the facility as an educational animal, which Newhouse's owners had been pushing for.
“Nibi has captured the hearts of many of our residents, mine included,” Healey said in a statement Thursday. “We’re excited to share that we have issued a permit for Nibi to remain in Newhouse’s care, continuing to educate the public about this important species. I’m grateful to our state’s dedicated wildlife biologists who work every day to care for Massachusetts wildlife, and I hope Nibi inspires more people to protect our natural world.”
While the goal of wildlife rehabilitators is to get animals that are sick or otherwise need care back out into the wild, state officials noted in an announcement, but in rare cases, permits can allow them to be used in educational settings.
A copy of Nibi's permit was filed in Middlesex Superior Court Thursday as part of the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue's lawsuit to keep Nibi; a hearing had been scheduled for Friday.
"I'm just thankful, I'm very thankful," a relieved Jane Newhouse, a founder of the Chelmsford nonprofit, said in a quick video reacting to the decision that she posted to Facebook.
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The state's legal filing noted that "Newhouse Wildlife Rescue has raised Nibi from a 1-month-old kit to a healthy, adult beaver. Through this permit, Plaintiff may continue to care and train Nibi, and accordingly, MassWildlife has fulfilled all aspects of the relief that is sought in Plaintiff’s motion for preliminary injunction."
Newhouse rescued the 1 lb. newborn beaver on the side of the road in Sturbridge in 2022, and she has lived at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue ever since.
She went viral that November, when Newhouse shared a video of her building a dam indoors, apparently — and relatably — to keep her roommate from coming back in.
