Arctic Bear Mother Takes In Cub in Infrequently Documented Case
Scientists tracking wild polar bears in northern Canada witnessed something exceedingly rare this autumn: a female bear taking in a cub that was not genetically 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 migration along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale renowned for its polar bear population.
"It's unusual," stated a scientist 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 studied for nearly five decades in the area.
The mother bear was first captured as she emerged from her maternity den this springtime. Initially, she had one cub, which scientists tagged for study.
In the fall, she was spotted once more, but this time with a pair of cubs - the original cub and another without a tag. Researchers aren't sure what happened to the second cub's biological mother, but they are trying to locate her using genetic samples.
"The bears need every advantage they can get these days with climate change," commented a polar bear scientist. "If females have the chance to pick up another cub 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 surviving into adulthood, but having a mother providing care boosts their odds.
The cubs appear to be in good condition, researchers said, and they will likely remain with their adoptive mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.
Next, the bear family is expected to venture out to sea ice, 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.
