Polar Bear Mother Takes In Youngster in Rarely Documented Case

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

The five-year-old maternal bear and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and filmed during the annual polar bear migration along the Western Hudson Bay near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an area known for its polar bear population.

"This is uncommon," stated a scientist with a polar bear conservation group. "We don't really know why it happens...but we know it doesn't happen often at all."

It's only the 13th known case of fostering out of 4,600 bears researched for almost fifty years in that region.

The female bear was first captured as she came out from her maternity den this springtime. At the time, she had a single offspring, which scientists marked for research.

In the fall, 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 identify her using DNA analysis.

"The bears need all the help they can get in the current era with a warming climate," noted a wildlife biologist. "When mother bears have the opportunity to pick up an additional youngster and raise it and successfully wean it, it's a positive development for the population."

Polar bears in the wild only have a fifty-fifty survival rate of surviving into adulthood, but having a maternal figure providing care boosts their chances.

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

Next, the family is anticipated to venture out to the frozen ocean, where the cubs will learn from their mother bear how to catch prey and live on their own.

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