Arctic Bear Mother Takes In Youngster in Infrequently Documented Case

Scientists monitoring free-roaming polar bears in Canada's northern regions observed something remarkably uncommon this autumn: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not genetically her own.

The half-decade-old mother and her nearly year-old cubs were observed and captured on camera during the yearly polar bear journey along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale known for its polar bear population.

"It's unusual," remarked a scientist with an international bear organization. "We don't really know why it occurs...but we know it is a rare event at all."

It's only the thirteenth documented instance of fostering out of nearly five thousand bears studied for nearly five decades in that region.

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

In the fall, she was spotted once more, but this time with a pair of cubs - the initially tagged cub and another that was untagged. Researchers are uncertain what happened to the second cub's birth mother, but they are attempting to locate her using genetic samples.

"These animals need all the help they can get these days with climate change," commented a wildlife biologist. "When mother bears have the chance to take in another cub and raise it and see it to independence, it's a positive development for the population."

Polar bears in the natural world only have a 50% chance of surviving into adulthood, but having a maternal figure providing care boosts their odds.

The cubs are reported as healthy, researchers said, and they will likely remain with their mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.

Next, the bear family is expected to venture out to the frozen ocean, where the youngsters will be taught from their mother how to hunt seals and live on their own.

"It is heartening to know that the bears are caring for each other," added the researcher.