Polar Ursine Maternal Figure Takes In Youngster in Infrequently Recorded Instance
Scientists tracking free-roaming polar bears in Canada's northern regions observed something remarkably uncommon this fall: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not biologically her own.
The half-decade-old mother and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and captured on camera during the annual polar bear migration along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale renowned for its concentration of Arctic bears.
"This is uncommon," stated a researcher with an international bear organization. "We don't really know why it happens...but we know it is a rare event at all."
It's only the thirteenth documented instance of fostering out of 4,600 bears researched for almost fifty years in that region.
The female bear was initially tagged as she came out from her birthing den this spring. At the time, she had one cub, which scientists tagged for research.
In the autumn, she was seen again, but this time with two cubs - the original cub and another that was untagged. Researchers are uncertain what became of the second cub's biological mother, but they are trying to identify her using DNA analysis.
"The bears need all the help they can get in the current era with a warming climate," commented a polar bear scientist. "If females have the chance to take in 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 living into maturity, but having a mother caring for them improves their chances.
The young bears are reported as healthy, researchers said, and they will likely remain with their adoptive mother until they are about 30 months of age.
Following this, the family is anticipated to head out to sea ice, where the cubs will learn from their mother how to hunt seals and live on their own.
"It's just nice to know that the animals are caring for each other," concluded the researcher.
