Arctic Bear Mother Adopts Youngster in Rarely Recorded Case
Researchers tracking free-roaming polar bears in Canada's northern regions observed something remarkably uncommon this autumn: a mother bear taking in a cub that was not genetically her own.
The five-year-old mother and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were spotted and captured on camera during the yearly polar bear journey along the Western Hudson Bay near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an area known for its concentration of Arctic bears.
"This is uncommon," remarked a scientist 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 13th known case of adoption out of nearly five thousand bears researched for nearly five decades in that region.
The female bear was initially tagged as she came out from her birthing den this spring. Initially, she had one cub, which scientists tagged for research.
In the autumn, she was seen again, but this time with a pair of cubs - the original cub and another that was untagged. Scientists are uncertain what happened to the new cub's biological mother, but they are attempting to identify her using DNA analysis.
"These animals need all the help they can get in the current era with a warming climate," commented a polar bear scientist. "When mother bears have the opportunity to pick up another cub and raise it and successfully wean it, it's a positive development for the population."
Polar bears in the wild only have a 50% chance of living into adulthood, but having a mother caring for them boosts their chances.
The cubs are reported as healthy, researchers said, and they will probably remain with their adoptive mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.
Next, the family is expected to head out to the frozen ocean, where the cubs will learn from their mother how to hunt seals and survive on their own.
"It's just nice to know that the animals are looking out for each other," concluded the researcher.
