Beavers parachute from plane over Idaho

More than half a century after a group of beavers was parachuted into the Idaho countryside, a fourteen minute film has emerged online which documents the incredible experiment. Wildlife managers say beavers will make ponds in the region, which can hold water year-round for the benefit of other wildlife and fish.

Back in January, Boise State Public Radio broke news on an excellent bit of local nature lore: “More than 60 years ago, Idaho Fish and Game dropped beavers out of a plane and parachuted them into the state’s backcountry”. Animal lovers can breathe a sigh of relief- it appears all beavers survived their flying adventures unharmed.

This video – a film, actually – comes from the 1950s, when game wardens in Idaho chose to relocate beavers that were destroying private property in developed areas.

Fish and Game historian Sharon Clark recently uncovered the fragile film, which had been mislabeled and stored in the wrong file. She added that the department used the airplanes because the area was so remote.

Trapping and transplanting beavers still happens today – but in less dramatic fashion. One ingenious (or egregious) solution that Idaho came up with was to use the surplus of parachutes from the war to drop beavers into the state’s expansive backcounty.