Arctic Ursine Mother Takes In Youngster in Infrequently Documented Case
Scientists tracking free-roaming polar bears in northern Canada observed something exceedingly rare this autumn: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not biologically her own.
The five-year-old maternal bear and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were spotted and captured on camera during the yearly polar bear migration along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale known for its polar bear population.
"It's unusual," remarked a researcher with a polar bear conservation group. "We don't really know 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 mother bear was first captured as she emerged from her birthing den this spring. At the time, she had a single offspring, which scientists tagged for research.
In the fall, she was seen again, but this time with a pair of cubs - the original cub and another without a tag. Researchers aren't sure what happened to the second cub's birth mother, but they are trying to identify her using genetic samples.
"These animals need every advantage they can get in the current era with a warming climate," noted a polar bear scientist. "If females have the chance to pick up an additional youngster and raise it and see it to independence, 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 maternal figure caring for them boosts their chances.
The cubs are reported as in good condition, researchers said, and they will likely remain with their mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.
Next, the bear family is anticipated to head 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 animals are caring for each other," concluded the scientist.
