Arctic Bear Mother Adopts Cub in Rarely Documented Instance
Researchers monitoring wild polar bears in Canada's northern regions observed something exceedingly rare this fall: a female bear adopting a cub that was not genetically her own.
The half-decade-old maternal bear and her nearly year-old cubs were observed and captured on camera during the annual polar bear journey along the Hudson Bay's western shore near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an area known for its polar bear population.
"It's unusual," 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 13th known case of adoption out of 4,600 bears studied for almost fifty years in the area.
The female bear was first captured as she emerged from her birthing den this spring. At the time, she had a single offspring, which researchers tagged for research.
In the fall, she was seen again, but this time with a pair of cubs - the original cub and a second that was untagged. Researchers aren't sure what happened to the second cub's biological mother, but they are trying to identify her using genetic samples.
"The bears need every advantage they can get in the current era with a warming climate," commented a polar bear scientist. "When mother bears have the chance to take in another cub and raise it and see it to independence, it's a positive development for the bears."
Polar bears in the wild only have a fifty-fifty survival rate of surviving into maturity, but having a maternal figure caring for them improves their chances.
The young bears are reported as healthy, according to experts, and they will likely stay with their mother until they are about 30 months of age.
Following this, the bear family is anticipated to venture out to sea ice, where the cubs will be taught from their mother how to catch prey and live on their own.
"It is heartening to know that the bears are looking out for each other," added the scientist.
