Internet-Famous Beaver Ordered to Be Returned to Nature As Experts Warn She May Not Survive

Nibi the beaver, beloved by social media, may be released back into the wild despite warnings about her safety in the wilderness.

The orphaned beaver was found on the side of the road in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, about two years ago. Since then, she has resided at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford. However, state officials believe that it is time for Nibi to be released back into the wild post rehabilitation.

Newhouse Wildlife Rescue founder, Jane Newhouse, who has been caring for Nibi since the beaver was rescued, does not believe Nibi would be able to survive in the wild, and has protested against her release.

She cited concerns that Nibi would not be able to successfully build a den and a dam in order to store food for the winter. If unable to do so, Newhouse doubts Nibi would survive the cold weather.

"So many people have fallen in love with Nibi," Newhouse told WBZ-TV. "She was the only orphaned beaver in all of New England."

"We tried to make Nibi releasable," Newhouse said. "The goal for any wildlife rehabilitator is to acclimate these animals to the wild."

The matter of Nibi's release will be taken to court on Tuesday afternoon, after Newhouse Wildlife Rescue announced on Facebook that an emergency injunction was filed against the state.

"The role of licensed wildlife rehabilitators is to care for sick and injured wildlife so that animals can be released back into the wild as soon as possible. Newhouse Wildlife Rescue was informed in June that the beaver is healthy and must be returned to the wild, in accordance with their permit and state regulations." said MassWildlife in a statement to Newscenter5. "Wild animals like this one belong in the wild, and releasing them back into their natural habitat enables them to lead fulfilling lives and contribute to the ecosystem."

At the time of writing, an online petition protesting Nibi's "unnecessary" removal from Newhouse Wildlife Rescue has garnered over 20,000 signatures.

Newhouse, who has lobbied for Nibi to be classified as an educational tool to avoid the beaver being released, questioned the statement from MassWildlife.

"No one from MassWildlife has been here to assess her. No one from MassWildlife has ever met this beaver," said Newhouse. "They never asked me to remove her in June. Absolutely not."

"It has been blood, sweat, and tears from my whole team, from all the 200+ wildlife rehabilitators in the state, and it is very frustrating to not be considered at all, to not feel like anything I have to say about a beaver that I've known for two years matters at all — at all — because we should be working together," Newhouse said.