The haul-out beach at Cape Peirce, Maggy Beach, is seen in the center of this photo. It extends uphill to the back of the bluff.

One of the advantages of working at Cape Peirce is the presence of a comfortable field camp just a couple of hundred meters from the haul-out beach.

Walruses are "thigmotactic", that is, they prefer to be in close contact with each other.

As a result, the size of the herd determines the extent of the haul-out beach used. There can be as many as 7,000 walruses hauled out on Maggie Beach at one time. Virtually all of the walruses are males. Females follow the ice north.

The walruses can be approached closely by moving slowly and keeping a low profile.

Here, a biologist darts a walrus, using carfentanil as the immobilizing drug

Below, biologists sit quietly, waiting for the drug to take effect. Only the walrus in front of them is drugged.

Once the immobilizing drug has taken effect, the animals near the drugged walrus are slowly encouraged to move away. Sometimes they can be very reluctant.

Transmitters are attached to one or both tusks, by seating steel strapping into shallow grooves filed into the tusk. Transmitters are covered with heavy shrink wrap for extra protection.

The drug is reversed once the transmitters are attached. Sometimes additional efforts (such as drawing blood) can be continued while the animal recovers.