Arctic Bear Maternal Figure Takes In Cub in Infrequently Documented Case

Researchers tracking free-roaming polar bears in northern Canada observed something exceedingly rare 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 observed and captured on camera during the yearly polar bear journey along the Western Hudson Bay near the Manitoba town of Churchill, 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 thirteenth documented instance of fostering out of nearly five thousand bears studied for almost fifty years in that region.

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

In the autumn, she was seen again, but this time with a pair of 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 trying to locate her using DNA analysis.

"These animals need all the help they can get in the current era with a warming climate," commented a polar bear scientist. "If females have the opportunity to pick up an additional youngster and care for it and see it to independence, it's a positive development for the population."

Polar bears in the wild only have a 50% chance of living into maturity, but having a maternal figure providing care boosts their chances.

The cubs are reported as healthy, according to experts, and they will likely stay with their mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.

Following this, the family is anticipated to venture out to sea ice, where the youngsters will be taught from their mother bear how to catch prey and live on their own.

"It's just nice to know that the animals are looking out for each other," added the scientist.