Arctic Bear Mother Takes In Cub in Infrequently Recorded Instance

Scientists tracking wild polar bears in northern Canada observed something exceedingly rare this fall: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not biologically her own.

The half-decade-old mother and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and captured on camera during the annual polar bear journey along the Hudson Bay's western shore near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an locale renowned for its polar bear population.

"It's unusual," stated a scientist with an international bear organization. "The reasons are unclear why it occurs...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 nearly five decades in the area.

The mother bear was first captured as she emerged from her birthing den this spring. At the time, she had one cub, which scientists tagged for research.

In the autumn, she was seen again, but this time with a pair of cubs - the original cub and another that was untagged. Researchers aren't sure what became of the new cub's biological mother, but they are trying to locate her using DNA analysis.

"The bears need every advantage they can get in the current era with a warming climate," commented a polar bear scientist. "If females have the chance to take in an additional youngster and raise it and successfully wean it, it's a positive development for the bears."

Polar bears in the natural world only have a 50% chance of living into adulthood, but having a mother caring for them boosts their odds.

The cubs are reported as in good condition, according to experts, and they will likely stay with their mother until they are about 30 months of age.

Following this, the family is anticipated to head out to sea ice, where the youngsters will learn from their mother how to hunt seals and live on their own.

"It is heartening to know that the bears are looking out for each other," concluded the researcher.