20,000 People Fight To Keep MA Domesticated Beaver In Captivity

CHELMSFORD, MA — More than 20,000 people have signed a petition to keep a domesticated beaver in captivity at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue, with the fight heading to court Tuesday.

Newhouse Wildlife Rescue announced Monday that Nibi, who was raised in captivity, was "officially denied Nibi as an educational beaver" and that MassWildlife wanted her released as soon as possible.

"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," reads the description of a Change.org petition started on Nibi's behalf. "There is precedent in this kind of situation. According to Defenders of Wildlife, beavers born or raised in captivity, like Nibi, are often unable to survive in the wild."

As of Tuesday afternoon, nearly 21,000 people have signed the petition.

"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 all asking what they can do to help," Newhouse Wildhouse Rescue said.

In its latest update, Newhouse said that Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife will not be taking Nibi Tuesday.

"The INCREDIBLY dedicated lawyers at TEPER LEGAL were up all night working on paperwork and have filed an emergency injunction against the commonwealth," Newhouse wrote on Facebook. "We are due in Lowell Superior Court at 2:00 pm today."

Among Nibi's other supporters are State representatives Colleen Garry, James Arciero, Simon Cataldo, and Marc Lombardo, and Senator Barry Finegold, according to Newhouse.

"We had a long talk about future discussions regarding how the state treats its volunteer wildlife rehabilitators," the organization wrote.