Arctic Bear Mother Takes In Cub in Infrequently Recorded Case
Scientists monitoring free-roaming polar bears in northern Canada observed something remarkably uncommon this fall: a female bear taking in a cub that was not genetically her own.
The half-decade-old maternal bear and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were spotted and filmed during the yearly polar bear migration along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an area known for its polar bear population.
"This is uncommon," stated a scientist with a polar bear conservation group. "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 nearly five thousand bears studied for almost fifty years in the area.
The mother bear was initially tagged as she emerged from her birthing den this spring. Initially, she had a single offspring, which scientists tagged for study.
In the fall, she was seen again, but this time with two cubs - the initially tagged cub and a second without a tag. Scientists are uncertain what happened to the new cub's birth mother, but they are trying to identify her using DNA analysis.
"These animals need every advantage they can get in the current era with a warming climate," noted a polar bear scientist. "When mother bears have the opportunity to pick up an additional youngster and care for it and see it to independence, it's a positive development for the bears."
Polar bears in the natural world only have a 50% chance of living into adulthood, but having a mother caring for them improves their odds.
The young bears appear to be in good condition, according to experts, and they will probably remain with their adoptive mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.
Next, the bear family is expected 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's just nice to know that the animals are caring for each other," concluded the researcher.
