Treatment of an acquired abdominal hernia in a polar bear (Thalarctos maritimus)

A heart rate radio-transmitter was surgically implanted in the abdomen of a captive adult male polar bear (Thalarctos maritimus), but within five weeks a purulent discharge was observed at the incision site. The transmitter was surgically removed along with many fragments of the fractured encapsulation material. The skin incision healed, but a large hernia remained. Repeated localized trauma to the hernia sac necessitated surgical repair.