Transplanting beavers by airplane and parachute
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Published source details
Heter E.W. (1950) Transplanting beavers by airplane and parachute. Journal of Wildlife Management, 14, 143-147.
Published source details Heter E.W. (1950) Transplanting beavers by airplane and parachute. Journal of Wildlife Management, 14, 143-147.
Actions
This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
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Airborne translocation of mammals using parachutes Action Link |
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Airborne translocation of mammals using parachutes
A study in 1948–1949 in a forest in Idaho, USA (Heter 1950) found that at least some North American beavers Castor canadensis translocated using parachutes established territories and survived over one year after release. Seventy-six beavers were dropped from an airplane over the translocation area using parachutes. All but one survived the drop. After one year, an unspecified number of beavers had built dams and constructed houses. In the autumn of 1948, seventy-six beavers were parachuted into a remote forest area. Animals were dropped in pairs, inside wooden boxes (76 × 40 × 30 cm), using 7.3-m rayon parachutes of war surplus stock. Boxes consisted of two sections fitted together as a suitcase, with 2.5-cm ventilation holes. A system of ropes snapped the box open with the collapse of the parachute. The system had been tested on an old male beaver named "Geronimo”. Observations were made of the surviving beavers in late 1949 (details not reported).
(Summarised by: Ricardo Rocha)
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