Planning
Woolly mammoths were not part of the original plan. At first, the idea was to scan the bronze pronghorn in the entrance to LINC.
Unfortunately, the logistics of moving the 3D scanner to the LINC proved too much. The 3D scanner only works well in the dark. The solution of coming in at night to perform the scan and turning off the lights (or covering them up) did not seem adequate. Curtains were considered for blocking out the light. In the end, however, the question was asked, "Why not just scan something that could be brought to the lab?"
Alternative Targets
The next thought was to scan a plastic pronghorn figurine. Unfortunately, no such figurine was available in Lethbridge (Fort Whoop-Up, the Galt Museum, ToysRUs, and Michaels had no such animal –they didn't even have a buffalo!). An elk, bear, beaver, pelican, owl and (finally) a mammoth were obtained for scanning.
We have a winner!
The mammoth target was chosen by chance. When the moment came to test the 3D scanner, Dr. Coburn (under whose auspices the 3D scanner and lab were provided) selected (from all the extant animals available) the mammoth as a test object. This turned out to be a fortuitous choice.
