OH messages me from Cadair Idris, asking why they parachuted beavers during the war! Interesting, I thought, so I googled it, as you do.
Well, it had nothing to do with the war, apart from the fact they used left over parachutes. It turns out it was a relocation exercise, to remove beavers from over populated areas and put them out on uninhabited ground.
In 1948, the state trapped 76 beavers, and air lifted them in crates made of willow, which were designed to split open on impact with the ground. They were then parachuted into an area called the Chamberlain Basin, in Idaho. All but one of the beavers survived the exercise. Apparently relocation still occurs in Idaho but although successful, they no longer use this method.
More on the story and a video can be found here.
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