Arctic Bear Maternal Figure Takes In Cub in Infrequently Recorded Instance
Researchers monitoring wild polar bears in northern Canada observed something remarkably uncommon this autumn: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not biologically her own.
The half-decade-old maternal bear and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and filmed during the annual polar bear migration along the Hudson Bay's western shore near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale known for its polar bear population.
"It's unusual," stated a researcher with a polar bear conservation group. "The reasons are unclear why it occurs...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 almost fifty years in that region.
The mother bear was first captured as she emerged from her birthing den this spring. At the time, she had one cub, which researchers marked for research.
In the fall, she was spotted once more, but this time with a pair of cubs - the original cub and another without a tag. Scientists are uncertain what became of the new cub's birth mother, but they are attempting to locate her using DNA analysis.
"The bears need all the help they can get in the current era with climate change," noted a wildlife biologist. "When mother bears have the chance to pick up an additional youngster and care for it and successfully wean it, it's a good thing for the population."
Polar bears in the wild only have a fifty-fifty survival rate of living into maturity, but having a mother providing care boosts their odds.
The young bears appear to be healthy, according to experts, and they will likely remain with their adoptive mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.
Following this, the family is anticipated to head out to the frozen ocean, where the youngsters 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," added the researcher.
