🔗 Share this article

Scientists monitoring wild polar bears in northern Canada witnessed something exceedingly rare this autumn: a mother bear taking in a cub that was not biologically her own.

The five-year-old mother and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and captured on camera during the yearly polar bear migration along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an area known for its polar bear population.

"It's unusual," remarked a scientist with an international bear organization. "The reasons are unclear why it happens...but we know it is a rare event at all."

It's only the thirteenth documented instance of adoption out of nearly five thousand bears researched for almost fifty years in that region.

The female bear was first captured as she came out from her maternity den this spring. Initially, she had a single offspring, which researchers tagged for research.

In the fall, she was spotted once more, but this time with two cubs - the original cub and another that was untagged. Scientists are uncertain what happened to the new cub's biological mother, but they are attempting to identify her using genetic samples.

"The bears need every advantage they can get these days with climate change," noted a wildlife biologist. "If females have the chance to pick up another cub and raise it and see it to independence, it's a good thing for the population."

Polar bears in the natural world only have a fifty-fifty survival rate of surviving into maturity, but having a mother providing care boosts their odds.

The cubs are reported as in good condition, researchers said, and they will probably stay with their mother until they are about 30 months of age.

Following this, the bear family is expected to head out to sea ice, where the youngsters will learn from their mother how to catch prey and live on their own.

"It's just nice to know that the animals are looking out for each other," concluded the researcher.