Polar Bear Mother Adopts Youngster in Rarely Recorded Instance
Researchers monitoring free-roaming 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 mother and her nearly year-old cubs were observed and filmed during the annual polar bear migration along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an area known for its polar bear population.
"This is uncommon," remarked a researcher with a polar bear conservation group. "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 nearly five decades in that region.
The female bear was initially tagged as she came out from her maternity den this spring. Initially, she had one cub, which scientists tagged for research.
In the autumn, she was spotted once more, but this time with a pair of cubs - the original cub and another without a tag. Scientists are uncertain what happened to 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," commented a polar bear scientist. "If females 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 natural world only have a fifty-fifty survival rate of living into maturity, but having a maternal figure providing care boosts their odds.
The cubs are reported as healthy, researchers said, and they will likely stay with their mother until they are about 30 months of age.
Next, the bear family is expected to venture out to sea ice, where the cubs will be taught from their mother bear how to hunt seals and live on their own.
"It is heartening to know that the animals are looking out for each other," added the scientist.
