Scientists are trying to track polar bears. Whether the transmitters were glued to a bear's fur or attached to an ear or collar, they consistently went silent soon after the bear was out of the trackers' sight.
Researchers guess the bears found ways of ridding themselves of the uninvited eavesdropping devices.
To solve the problem, Mulcahy and Garner decided to try implanting a tiny transmitter below a bear's skin, with just a short antenna sticking out. Still, the two men were game. After surveying the area in a low-flying helicopter, they spotted a bear and then shot a tranquilizing dart into it. To keep their hands from freezing, the surgeons wore warm linings under their rubber surgical gloves. But they couldn't keep other items from getting chilled.