Having written on the problems of the old way of transporting pesky beavers, Elmo W. Heter set about finding a better way. He worked out that it was better to move them in midsummer; their migration season was finished and they’d have time to acclimate to their new home. And he knew from past relocation efforts that it was better to move young beavers, ideally four at a time with either one male to three females or two of each. But the question still remained: how would the beavers be moved?
Heter was the one who came up with the idea of using military surplus parachutes to drop the beavers into their new home from a plane. As kooky as it might look on paper, it was at least economic; per Boise State Public Radio, it would only cost $30, or $379.30 in 2024 currency. But since beavers, then and now, don’t have the ability to operate a standard parachute, Heter had to devise transport crates that could be safely taken down from a plane, and that the beavers could easily get out of once they landed.
The crate design demanded a fair amount of trial and error. The first design was made of woven willow, a favorite beaver food. But that proved the fatal flaw in the design. Beavers put into those crates went to town on them immediately. If they’d been used, the beavers could’ve gotten free in loading, on the plane, or in midair.
