Polar Ursine Maternal Figure Takes In Cub in Infrequently Recorded Instance
Scientists monitoring wild polar bears in Canada's northern regions witnessed something exceedingly rare this autumn: a female bear taking in a cub that was not biologically her own.
The half-decade-old maternal bear and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and captured on camera during the yearly polar bear journey along the Hudson Bay's western shore near Churchill, Manitoba, an area renowned for its concentration of Arctic bears.
"This is uncommon," stated a researcher with an international bear organization. "We don't really know why it happens...but we know it doesn't happen often at all."
It's only the 13th known case of adoption out of 4,600 bears researched for almost fifty years in that region.
The mother bear was initially tagged as she emerged from her maternity den this springtime. At the time, she had a single offspring, which scientists marked for research.
In the fall, she was spotted once more, but this time with two cubs - the original cub and a second without a tag. Researchers are uncertain what happened to the new cub's birth mother, but they are trying to identify her using genetic samples.
"The bears need all the help they can get these days with a warming climate," noted a polar bear scientist. "When mother bears have the chance to take in an additional youngster and raise it and see it to independence, it's a positive development for the bears."
Polar bears in the wild only have a 50% chance of living into maturity, but having a maternal figure caring for them boosts their odds.
The cubs are reported as healthy, researchers said, and they will probably stay with their adoptive mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.
Next, the bear family is anticipated to venture out to sea ice, where the cubs will learn 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," concluded the researcher.
