Polar Bear Mother Takes In Youngster in Infrequently Recorded Case
Researchers tracking wild polar bears in Canada's northern regions witnessed something remarkably uncommon this fall: a female bear taking in a cub that was not biologically her own.
The five-year-old maternal bear and her nearly year-old cubs were spotted and filmed during the yearly polar bear journey along the Hudson Bay's western shore near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an locale renowned for its polar bear population.
"This is uncommon," stated a scientist with a polar bear conservation group. "The reasons are unclear why it happens...but we know it doesn't happen often at all."
This represents only the 13th known case of adoption 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 spring. At the time, she had one cub, which researchers marked for research.
In the fall, she was spotted once more, but this time with two cubs - the initially tagged cub and a second that was untagged. Scientists aren't sure what became of the new cub's biological mother, but they are trying to locate her using genetic samples.
"These animals need all the help they can get these days with a warming climate," noted a wildlife biologist. "When mother bears have the opportunity to take in an additional youngster and raise it and successfully wean it, it's a good thing for the bears."
Polar bears in the wild only have a fifty-fifty survival rate of living into adulthood, but having a mother providing care improves their odds.
The young bears appear to be in good condition, according to experts, and they will likely remain 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 survive on their own.
"It's just nice to know that the bears are caring for each other," added the scientist.
