Back in 1948, Idaho had a little a beaver problem. Idaho Fish and Game’s distinct moving method led to beavers parachuting from aircrafts– and yes, this is a true story. There’s even a video called “Fur for the Future,” and it’s just as quirky as you ‘d envision.
Boise State Public Radio reports that after World War II, people began constructing homes in brand-new areas of Idaho, however there were beavers all over. An Idaho Fish and Video game worker called Elmo Heter knew the beavers would prosper in the Chamberlain Basin, where they ‘d be away from people and would benefit the local environment.
“The problem is […] there really aren’t and weren’t any roadways,” Idaho Fish and Video game’s Steve Liebenthal told Boise State Public Radio. So how would Heter get the beavers where they required to go? One idea was to load them in on mules, however the two types do not get along.
“Horses and mules become spooky and quarrelsome when filled with a struggling, odorous set of live beavers,” composed Heter in a report called “Transplanting Beavers” in the Journal of Wildlife Management.
That’s when Heter thought about a different idea, leveraging additional parachutes from the war to drop beavers from an airplane. Boise State Public Radio reports the approximated cost in 1948 of dropping beavers from a plane was around $30 for every single 4 beavers, about $388 in modern-day spend.
A Lost Video Found
In 2015, a historian at Idaho Fish and Game discovered the movie “Fur for the Future,” which documents this bizarre occasion. The film had actually been mislabeled and put in the wrong box, so it had been missing for years.
In the 14-minute color film, now offered on YouTube, you can view as wildlife officials prep a bunch of beavers to drop from the sky in little boxes with parachutes connected. When they struck the ground, package pops open, and the beaver strolls free, presumably to the nearby body of water to begin a new life.
Enjoy beavers parachute from the sky beginning around 8 minutes and 15 seconds:
What do you think these beavers made of their wild journey to their new home?
In 1948, Idaho Fish and Game’s special wildlife-relocation tactic resulted in beavers parachuting from planes– and yes, there’s video.