Arctic Ursine Mother Takes In Cub in Infrequently Recorded Case
Researchers tracking free-roaming polar bears in northern Canada witnessed something exceedingly rare this fall: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not biologically her own.
The five-year-old mother and her nearly year-old cubs were observed and filmed during the annual polar bear migration along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale renowned for its polar bear population.
"This is uncommon," stated a scientist with an international bear organization. "The reasons are unclear why it happens...but we know it is a rare event at all."
It's only the 13th known case of adoption out of 4,600 bears researched for nearly five decades in that region.
The female bear was initially tagged as she came out from her maternity den this spring. Initially, she had a single offspring, which researchers marked for study.
In the autumn, she was seen again, but this time with two cubs - the initially tagged cub and a second without a tag. Researchers are uncertain what became of the new cub's biological mother, but they are trying to identify her using genetic samples.
"The bears need all the help they can get in the current era with climate change," commented a wildlife biologist. "When mother bears have the opportunity to take in an additional youngster and care for it and successfully wean it, it's a good thing for the population."
Polar bears in the natural world only have a 50% chance of surviving into adulthood, but having a maternal figure caring for them improves their chances.
The cubs appear to be healthy, researchers said, and they will probably stay with their adoptive mother until they are about 30 months of age.
Following this, the family is expected to venture out to the frozen ocean, where the youngsters will be taught from their mother bear how to hunt seals and live on their own.
"It's just nice to know that the animals are looking out for each other," added the researcher.
