Arctic Ursine Maternal Figure Takes In Cub in Rarely Documented Case

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

The half-decade-old maternal bear and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and filmed during the yearly polar bear journey along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an area renowned for its polar bear population.

"It's unusual," stated a researcher with a polar bear conservation group. "The reasons are unclear why it occurs...but we know it doesn't happen often at all."

This represents only the 13th known case of fostering out of nearly five thousand bears researched for nearly five decades in that region.

The mother bear was initially tagged as she emerged from her maternity den this spring. At the time, she had a single offspring, which researchers marked for research.

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

"The bears need all the help they can get in the current era with climate change," noted a polar bear scientist. "When mother bears have the chance to take in an additional youngster and raise it and see it to independence, it's a good thing for the bears."

Polar bears in the natural world only have a fifty-fifty survival rate of living into adulthood, but having a maternal figure caring for them improves their odds.

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

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 survive on their own.

"It is heartening to know that the animals are caring for each other," concluded the scientist.