Whether a 2-year-old beaver named Nibi gets to stay with the rescuers she has 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.

A Change.Org petition that followed highlighted the fact that Nibi is a domesticated beaver, and having been raised under the care of humans means that her chances of survival in the wild are significantly lower than if she were to remain at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue.

The fight over the state of Massachusetts’ plan to release a 2-year-old beaver back into the wild went to court Tuesday. The animal has been living in captivity at a wildlife rescue center in Chelmsford,