🔗 Share this article

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

The five-year-old mother and her nearly year-old cubs were spotted and captured on camera during the annual polar bear migration along the Hudson Bay's western shore near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale renowned for its polar bear population.

"It's unusual," stated a researcher with a polar bear conservation group. "We don't really know why it occurs...but we know it doesn't happen often at all."

This represents only the thirteenth documented instance of adoption out of nearly five thousand bears studied for nearly five decades in the area.

The female bear was first captured as she emerged from her birthing den this spring. Initially, she had a single offspring, which scientists marked for research.

In the fall, she was spotted once more, but this time with a pair of cubs - the original cub and a second without a tag. Scientists aren't sure what happened to the new cub's birth mother, but they are attempting to identify her using DNA analysis.

"The bears need all the help they can get these days with climate change," noted a polar bear scientist. "If females have the chance to pick up an additional youngster and care for it and successfully wean it, it's a good thing for the bears."

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

The young bears are reported as in good condition, according to experts, and they will likely remain with their adoptive mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.

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

"It's just nice to know that the animals are caring for each other," concluded the scientist.