Polar Ursine Mother Takes In Youngster in Rarely Documented Instance
Scientists monitoring free-roaming polar bears in Canada's northern regions observed something exceedingly rare this autumn: a female 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 captured on camera during the yearly polar bear migration along the Hudson Bay's western shore near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an area renowned for its polar bear population.
"This is uncommon," stated a scientist with an international bear organization. "The reasons are unclear why it happens...but we know it doesn't happen often 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 first captured as she came out from her birthing den this spring. Initially, she had a single offspring, which researchers tagged for study.
In the fall, she was spotted once more, but this time with two cubs - the original cub and a second without a tag. 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 these days with climate change," noted a polar bear scientist. "If females have the chance to pick up an additional youngster and raise it and successfully wean it, it's a good thing for the population."
Polar bears in the wild only have a 50% chance of living into maturity, but having a mother caring for them improves their odds.
The cubs appear to be in good condition, researchers said, and they will likely stay with their mother until they are about 30 months of age.
Following this, the family is anticipated to head out to sea ice, where the youngsters will be taught from their mother how to catch prey and live on their own.
"It is heartening to know that the bears are caring for each other," concluded the scientist.