Polar Ursine Mother Takes In Youngster in Infrequently Recorded Instance
Researchers monitoring free-roaming polar bears in Canada's northern regions observed something remarkably uncommon this autumn: a mother bear taking in a cub that was not biologically her own.
The half-decade-old maternal bear and her nearly year-old cubs were observed and filmed during the yearly polar bear migration along the Hudson Bay's western shore near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale renowned for its concentration of Arctic bears.
"It's unusual," stated a scientist 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 thirteenth documented instance of adoption out of nearly five thousand bears studied for nearly five decades in that region.
The female bear was first captured as she emerged from her birthing den this spring. At the time, she had one cub, which scientists marked for study.
In the fall, she was seen again, but this time with two cubs - the original cub and a second without a tag. Scientists aren't sure what happened to the new cub's birth mother, but they are trying to locate her using DNA analysis.
"These animals need every advantage they can get in the current era with a warming climate," commented a wildlife biologist. "When mother bears have the opportunity to take in another cub and raise it and successfully wean it, it's a positive development for the bears."
Polar bears in the natural world only have a fifty-fifty survival rate of surviving into adulthood, but having a mother caring for them boosts their chances.
The young bears appear to be 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 expected to venture out to the frozen ocean, where the cubs will be taught from their mother how to catch prey and survive on their own.
"It's just nice to know that the animals are looking out for each other," added the scientist.
