They have drilled a hole in the ice so far from the other holes that a seal released here has to come back. It’s held captive by its need to breathe.
Under a special research permit, this male was captured and he’ll work with the scientists for a couple of weeks, then be returned to the place he was caught. They have glued instruments on his back and a camera on his head, to explore a world of life and hunting under the ice that would otherwise be hidden forever.