It was an ordinary day. Opened my morning newspaper and there on page A2 was a photo of this handsome young....BEAVER. Not the guy that used to be on "Leave It To Beaver," but the beaver known as "Nibi". Her story read.... Whether a 2-year-old beaver named Nibi gets to stay with the rescuers she was known since she was a baby or must be released into the wild as winter approaches in Massachusetts has ended up in court - and caused such an uproar that even the governor has weighed in. "To literally see people from around the world come together to protect this beaver is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life," said Adam Teper, an attorney representing Nibi's rescuers. A judge on Tuesday said that for now, Nibi will be allowed to stay in her home at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford, located northwest of Boston. A hearing has been set for Friday in the case the rescuers filed against Mass-Wildlife, the state's division of fisheries and wildlife, to stop the release. Nibi has been a hit on the rescue group's social media since she was a baby, and posts about her impending release garnered thousands of comments. An online petition to save Nibi from being released has received over 25,000 signatures, lawmakers have weighed in, and this week Gov. Maura Healey pledged to make sure Nibi is protected. Jane Newhouse, the rescue group's founder and president, said that after Nibi was found on the side of the road, they tried to reunite her with very beavers who could have been her parents but were unsuccessful. After that, attempts to get her to bond with other beavers also didn't work. "It's very difficult to consider releasing her when she only seems to like people and seems to have no interest in being wild or bonding with any of her own species," Newhouse said. Nibi has a large enclosure with a pool at the rescue operation and will also wander in its yard in a rehabilitation space, Newhouse said. "She pretty much has full run of the place. Everybody on my team is in love with her," she said. Newhouse said she has asked MassWildlife if she could get a permit for Nibi to become an educational beaver to schools, libraries and town halls. But, she said, with the recent denial of that permission came the ordered release of Nibi. MassWildlife said Thursday that it is "committed to protecting the well-being of all wildlife, including Nibi the beaver." It added that Nibi "will remain in place at this time" as agency officials 'work with Newhouse Wildlife Rescue on the best steps forward." Newhouse said her fear is that a release would mean certified death for her beloved "diva" beaver, who doesn't know how to live in the wild. "It doesn't give her much time to figure out how to build a lodge for the first time, how to build dams for the first time, how to store all of her food before winter sets in," she said. Newhouse said that beavers usually leave their parents between the ages of 2 and 3, so it's possible that over the next year Nibi will show more interest in wanting to be in the wild. But unless that happens, she wants to keep her safe. "She loves her life here," Newhouse said. "She's spoiled rotten, and she's got lots of room to run around and her own little pond, all the food, fruit, veggies, nuts, berries she wants." What do you think? I could keep her in my Villa at Woodcrest Villas, but...I'm not quite sure they would go for that. Than again...I could try it and not say anything to anyone about it! As long as she's quiet...it might work. Perhaps my two cats, Snickerdoodle and The Gray Lady might like to have a new friend....a beaver! Nah! That would never work! Oh well! Here's hoping that Nibi will find a good home and get a chance to live out her life in the company of friends in her own little pond with all the food, fruit, veggies, nuts and berries she wants! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
 |
| "Nibi" The Beaver |
No comments:
Post a Comment