Nibi, a two-year-old beaver whose journey has captured the attention of Americans, will be allowed to stay at a wildlife rescue centre after Massachusetts’s governor intervened in the matter.
Nibi – who was raised in captivity – became the subject of a legal case over whether she would have to be released into the wild or could remain at the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue.
On Thursday, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey waded into the debate and issued a permit so the wildlife centre could keep Nibi, who has become a social media sensation.
“Nibi has captured the hearts of many of our residents, mine included,” Healey said on 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.”
In a statement on Facebook, Newhouse Wildlife Rescue said they were “beyond grateful” for the governor’s actions.
MassWildlife, the state’s division of fisheries and wildlife, had argued Nibi needed to be returned to the wild because she was a healthy mammal.
The wildlife group disagreed, arguing it would be dangerous to release her just before winter because she has been cared for by humans her whole life and has not acclimatised to the wild.
“We will not release an animal that we don’t believe can make it out in the wild,” the group wrote on Facebook.
Nibi made her way to the rescue centre a year and a half ago after she was orphaned and found on the side of the road when she was just one week old, according to the wildlife group.
The rescue group said that after taking her in, they tried to connect her with another orphaned beaver so that she had a “buddy” and did not get close to humans. But the matchmaking was unsuccessful.
“Nibi wanted nothing to do with this other beaver,” the group said, calling her a “diva”.
Now, Nibi is old enough to go outside and spends much time in her outdoor enclosure with minimised interactions with humans, the centre said.
The group suggested Nibi could still be released into the wild one day if she becomes more independent – a process that might happen at about two years of age, when her hormones may change.
“We hope, once her hormones kick in, she will want nothing to do with us,” the group wrote.
The furry mammal’s case sparked a petition signed by thousands who wanted to prevent the celebrity beaver from being released.
