Did you know that beavers could fly? At least, here in Idaho they can.Not many people know that Idaho was host to quite possibly the weirdest method of re-homing beavers in the 1940s. Footage of this bizarre event resurfaced just a couple years ago, putting the Gem State in national headlines. If you were in Idaho around this time, you could’ve witnessed up to 76 parachuting beavers falling from the sky.

One of the greatest things about living in Idaho is the close proximity to wilderness and wildlife. However, at one point in time people were living a little too close to nature.
Lindsey Krause/Flickr
After World War II, the McCall and Payette Lake area were booming. People were moving to the area like crazy for the spectacular views. However, this area was also home to a substantial beaver population which began to cause problems with the people setting up their lives there.
Idaho Fish And Game/Flickr
The problem was where and how to relocate the beavers. It was decided that an area called the Chamberlain Basin would be the perfect area for them. The area is now the Frank Church River Of No Return Wilderness and at the time did not have any roads into it.
euronews/YouTube

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A man named Elmo Heter proposed air dropping the beavers with leftover war parachutes. This method would be cheaper than any other and also solve the problem of lack of beavers in the basin and the abundance of war parachutes.
euronews/YouTube
So, that's exactly what they did. They packed up the beavers in wooden boxes that would open upon impact. This type of relocation probably wouldn't fly today. Although only one beaver out of the 76 died, parachuting beavers doesn't sound particularly safe.
euronews/YouTube
Descendants of these parachuting beavers could probably be found today in the Frank Church wilderness. Although it sounds totally bizarre, this event actually worked out perfectly for everyone.
Katja Schulz/Flickr

Did you know about this wacky event? Idaho is the subject of many weird stories. If you enjoyed this one, be sure to check out these 7 Urban Legends In Idaho That Will Keep You Awake At Night.

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