Video of parachuting beavers discovered by Idaho Historical Society after 65 years

An Idaho historian has found footage dating back to 1950s that shows beavers being dropped out of a plane in a bizarre wildlife experiment

It does not get weirder than this. 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.

In the 1940s, the overpopulation of beavers in some regions became an irritating problem. This problem somehow transformed into an experiment that involved parachuting beavers into less populated areas.

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission captured beavers and other furry animals, packed them into crates called “drop boxes”, tied them to parachutes and dropped them from a plane into the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.

The film is said to date back to 1950 and the dry commentary that features on the film suggests this to be the case.

In the climactic moment when the beaver lands safely in the wild, the commentator simply says: “The box opens and a most unusual and novel trip ends for Mr Beaver… He’s on his way now; his nose and his instinct tell him where to find the water.”

The video called ‘Fur For The Future’ has been released by the Idaho Historical Society and it already has over 400,000 views on YouTube in less than a week.