Long-lost film shows beavers being relocated via parachute in 1948

BOISE, Idaho, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Idaho Fish and Game announced a department historian discovered long-lost footage of beavers being relocated via parachutes in 1948.

The story of four beavers parachuted into the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in 1948 was detailed earlier this year by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, but film of the beaver relocation was thought to be lost until Department Historian Sharon Clark tracked down a print and had it converted to digital.

The department shared the film, titled "Fur for the Future," on YouTube.

"Yes, we still do some trapping and relocating of beavers. We haven't done airplane drops for 50 plus years, but it apparently worked pretty well back then to reestablish them in remote places," Steve Nadeau of Idaho Fish and Game told Boise State Public Radio.