Newhouse Wildlife Rescue
Nibi will be able to stay at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue, where she has lived for two years.
ANIMAL – An animal whose story was told by Washington Post, Time Magazine and even New York Times. And for good reason: Nibi the beaver was at the center of a long legal battle until the governor of Massachusetts, Democrat Maura Healey, intervened to regulate his stay in an animal shelter.
The story of this woman began about two years ago, when a baby beaver, barely a few days old, was found along a busy road, about a hundred miles from Boston, says New York Times. No sign of its parents on the horizon, although at its age the animal could not swim and should have been in a beaver dam, one of those vital structures for ecosystems.
The offspring was entrusted to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue, a shelter for injured or abandoned animals, where she was named Nibi – “water”in the original Ojibwe language—and grew. She even became an internet sensation after a video from the shelter reached 10 million views.
A few weeks ago, a twist: The Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife required the reintroduction of Nibi into the wild as he is in good health. But for the shelter, it was not the right solution. “We don’t want to release an animal that we don’t think can survive in the wild”writes the association on Facebook.
Because not only has Nibi never lived in the wild, but attempts at socialization with other species have hardly worked. “ She only wanted to be with her caretakers. She seemed too used to it.” Jane Newhouse, president and founder of the shelter, explained to the New York Daily.
Online mobilization
As the months passed, the shelter staff began to affectionately refer to her as “diva”the female is aggressive with all the other beavers in the middle. A very bad omen for a reintroduction into a stream. “In six years, this was the first healthy animal that we felt we could not release, and we have rehabilitated thousands of them”emphasizes Jane Newhouse.
In September, Nibi’s fans mobilized on social networks and went so far as to launch an online petition to allow him to establish his residence in the shelter. Alas: A few days ago the authorities in Massachusetts suggested that they could come and get Nibi. The shelter then took the matter to court for summary judgment, with a hearing set for Friday, October 4.
This hearing does not take place: a few hours before the deadline, the governor has therefore given Nibi permission to spend happy days in his refuge. “Nibi has captured the hearts of many of our citizens, including mine”writes the governor in a press release. Thus the animal will be able to “Continue to raise public awareness” about the importance of beavers, adds Maura Healey.
Combating droughts, developing the biodiversity of water bodies, flood regulation, water purification, etc.: it must be said that the animal has many benefits for its immediate environment, which in particular has led France to protect it so that its population can grow strongly in recent decades .
Also look at The HuffPost:
