Arctic Bear Maternal Figure Takes In Cub in Infrequently Recorded Case
Scientists monitoring free-roaming polar bears in Canada's northern regions witnessed something remarkably uncommon this fall: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not genetically her own.
The five-year-old mother and her nearly year-old cubs were observed and captured on camera 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 researcher with a polar bear conservation group. "The reasons are unclear why it occurs...but we know it is a rare event at all."
It's only the thirteenth documented instance of fostering out of nearly five thousand bears studied for nearly five decades in that region.
The mother bear was first captured as she emerged from her birthing den this spring. At the time, she had one cub, which scientists tagged for research.
In the autumn, she was spotted once more, but this time with two cubs - the initially tagged cub and a second that was untagged. Researchers aren't sure what became of the new cub's biological mother, but they are trying to identify her using genetic samples.
"These animals need all the help they can get in the current era with climate change," noted a wildlife biologist. "If females have the chance to take in an additional youngster and raise it and see it to independence, it's a good thing for the population."
Polar bears in the wild only have a fifty-fifty survival rate of living into maturity, but having a mother providing care boosts their odds.
The young bears appear to be in good condition, researchers said, and they will likely stay with their mother until they are about 30 months of age.
Following this, the family is expected to head out to the frozen ocean, where the cubs will be taught from their mother how to hunt seals and live on their own.
"It's just nice to know that the animals are caring for each other," added the researcher.
