Arctic Bear Mother Takes In Youngster in Infrequently Documented Instance
Scientists tracking free-roaming polar bears in Canada's northern regions observed something remarkably uncommon this autumn: a female bear taking in a cub that was not genetically her own.
The five-year-old mother and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were spotted and filmed during the yearly polar bear migration along the Western Hudson Bay near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an locale renowned for its polar bear population.
"It's unusual," remarked a researcher with an international bear organization. "The reasons are unclear 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 studied for nearly five decades in the area.
The mother bear was first captured as she emerged from her maternity den this spring. At the time, she had one cub, which scientists marked for research.
In the autumn, she was spotted once more, but this time with a pair of cubs - the original cub and another that was untagged. Researchers aren't sure what happened to the second cub's birth mother, but they are attempting to locate her using DNA analysis.
"These animals need every advantage they can get these days with climate change," noted a wildlife biologist. "When mother bears have the opportunity to take in an additional youngster and care for it and see it to independence, it's a positive development for the population."
Polar bears in the wild only have a 50% chance of living into maturity, but having a mother providing care boosts their odds.
The young bears appear to be in good condition, researchers said, and they will probably stay with their adoptive mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.
Next, the family is anticipated to head out to sea ice, where the cubs will be taught from their mother how to catch prey and survive on their own.
"It is heartening to know that the bears are caring for each other," concluded the scientist.
