Arctic Bear Maternal Figure Adopts Cub in Rarely Documented Instance

Researchers tracking free-roaming polar bears in northern Canada observed something remarkably uncommon this fall: a mother bear taking in a cub that was not genetically her own.

The five-year-old mother and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were spotted and filmed during the annual polar bear journey along the Hudson Bay's western shore near Churchill, Manitoba, an area known for its concentration of Arctic bears.

"It's unusual," stated a researcher with a polar bear conservation group. "We don't really know why it happens...but we know it is a rare event at all."

This represents only the thirteenth documented instance of fostering out of 4,600 bears researched for nearly five decades in that region.

The mother bear was first captured as she came out from her maternity den this spring. At the time, she had one cub, which researchers marked for study.

In the fall, she was spotted once more, but this time with two cubs - the original cub and a second without a tag. Researchers aren't sure what became of the second cub's birth mother, but they are attempting to locate her using genetic samples.

"The bears need every advantage they can get these days with a warming climate," commented a polar bear scientist. "If females 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 mother providing care improves their chances.

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

Following this, the bear family is anticipated to venture out to the frozen ocean, where the cubs will learn 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," concluded the scientist.