box. Conservation officers consulted with the Idaho State Fur Supervisor and carefully selected sites to receive beavers. From their previous experience they learned that younger beavers were easier to relocate successfully. They found it was best to relocate groups of four beavers: one male and three females. On August 14, 1948, a twin-engine Beechcraft took off with eight crates of beavers, a pilot and a conservation officer. In the following days 76 beavers were parachuted into meadows. One beaver forced its way out of the top of the box while parachuting; the beaver then jumped to its death and became the only casualty of the operation. Legacy The beaver drop was likely confusing and stressful for beavers. It is remembered as both ingenious and bizarre. In 1949 the operation was deemed successful after officials observed the beavers had made homes in the new areas. Also in 1949, Popular Mechanics magazine published an article about the parachuting beavers, calling the beavers "Parabeavers". In 2015 a fish and game historian discovered the film of the beaver drops and the Idaho Historical Society uploaded the video to YouTube. Time magazine claimed that the uploaded video made beavers, "the Internet's latest favorite animal". In 2015 the Idaho state fur bearer manager for Fish and Game, Steve Nadeau said the state still traps and relocates beavers. He said it has been fifty years since the state relocated beavers by air. See also Operation Cat Drop References External links 1948 YouTube video Idaho Fish and Game Parachuting History of Idaho Beavers Beavers