Arctic Bear Mother Adopts Cub in Rarely Recorded Instance
Scientists tracking free-roaming polar bears in northern Canada observed something exceedingly rare this fall: a mother bear taking in a cub that was not biologically 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 Hudson Bay's western shore near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale renowned for its concentration of Arctic bears.
"This is uncommon," remarked a researcher with an international bear organization. "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 fostering out of 4,600 bears studied for almost fifty years in that region.
The mother bear was first captured as she came out from her maternity den this springtime. At the time, she had one cub, which researchers marked for study.
In the fall, she was seen again, but this time with a pair of cubs - the original cub and another without a tag. Scientists aren't sure what became of the new cub's birth mother, but they are attempting to locate her using genetic samples.
"The bears need every advantage they can get these days with a warming climate," noted a wildlife biologist. "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 natural world only have a 50% chance of surviving into maturity, but having a maternal figure caring for them improves their chances.
The young bears appear to be in good condition, according to experts, and they will likely remain with their adoptive mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.
Next, the bear family is anticipated to venture out to the frozen ocean, where the youngsters will be taught from their mother how to hunt seals and survive on their own.
"It is heartening to know that the bears are caring for each other," concluded the researcher.
