Dammed popular: Celebrity beaver delights Acton seniors
Rescued as an orphan in 2022, Nibi the beaver captured national attention last fall and is now a designated educational animal.
The guest of honor at the Council on Aging last month was a corpulent rodent with a penchant for mischief.
Rescued as a roadside orphan in 2022, Nibi the beaver captured national attention last fall and is now a designated educational animal.
Concordian Bea Fousek said she was eager to meet the furry celebrity, but unsure of what to expect.
“I wonder if [she] bites,” Fousek said.
Staff at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford rescued Nibi when she was a month old, but couldn’t find any other orphaned baby beavers to keep her company.
From her solitary life, Nibi has emerged as a celebrity online and at public events.
Acton Assistant Town Manager Jess Porter counts herself among her fans, and she tipped off COA Director Daniel Petitt about Nibi’s touring status. “Many of the Acton older adults are really interested in wildlife,” Petitt told The Acton Bridge.
The COA has welcomed animals before — including, recently, an alpaca dubbed “Sir Erik.”
“The response is just always really great, and you can really see the connection,” Petitt said.
Nibi can be crafty. In one viral video, after her beaver roommate left their shared space, Nibi immediately started damming off the doorway to keep her from returning — and left behind her construction work with a hop.
Newhouse founder Jane Newhouse explained that baby beavers hop when they’re excited. Nibi, now an adult, hops “when she’s doing something she knows she shouldn’t be doing.”
‘She’s sassy’
When Nibi’s rehab ended, her team feared she wouldn’t survive on her own. She stayed at Newhouse — after some legal wrangling and some help from Gov. Maura Healey.
Like Porter, Bonnie Geithner is a fan and noted recent videos showing Nibi befriending Daphne, a duck. She said she’d never seen Nibi in person and was excited about the COA event.
In Acton, Newhouse brought her educational companion out of her cage and placed her on a table to munch on fruits and vegetables. When Newhouse tried to adjust a grape on the table, Nibi lunged at her hand.
“She’s sassy,” Newhouse said as she gave the sharp-toothed mammal some space. Nibi grumbled into her food, prompting laughs from the room.
For all Nibi’s antics, Geithner praised the Newhouse team. “It’s been wonderful to watch how they’ve let her grow,” she said.
Petitt said this was “sort of out of the box.” But Nibi drew a crowd. “Everybody loves animals,” he said.
