Beavers Were Once Parachuted To New Habitat
- 9 years ago
In 1948, Idaho Fish and Game authorities used surplus WWII parachutes to drop beavers into a new, roadless habitat after they were displaced by human settlement.
It’s not every day you hear of beavers being parachuted into the wilderness with leftover World War II supplies.
In 1948, western Idaho had a bit of a problem with people building homes in previously undeveloped areas.
Some of this land was the territory of beavers who had been long-time inhabitants.
Since beavers were known to be destructive animals and problematic among human structures, the Idaho Fish and Game department decided to relocate the animals to the Chamberlain Basin wilderness area.
It was far from people and could benefit from a population of beavers.
The problem then turned into the matter of how to get them there, as the Basin lacked access roads.
When horses and mules reacted negatively to carrying the beavers, Fish and Game employee Elmo Heter came up with the idea of using surplus World War II para
It’s not every day you hear of beavers being parachuted into the wilderness with leftover World War II supplies.
In 1948, western Idaho had a bit of a problem with people building homes in previously undeveloped areas.
Some of this land was the territory of beavers who had been long-time inhabitants.
Since beavers were known to be destructive animals and problematic among human structures, the Idaho Fish and Game department decided to relocate the animals to the Chamberlain Basin wilderness area.
It was far from people and could benefit from a population of beavers.
The problem then turned into the matter of how to get them there, as the Basin lacked access roads.
When horses and mules reacted negatively to carrying the beavers, Fish and Game employee Elmo Heter came up with the idea of using surplus World War II para