Arctic Bear Mother Adopts Cub in Rarely Documented Case
Scientists tracking free-roaming polar bears in northern Canada observed something remarkably uncommon this fall: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not genetically her own.
The five-year-old mother and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and filmed during the annual polar bear journey along the Hudson Bay's western shore near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale known for its polar bear population.
"It's unusual," remarked a researcher with a polar bear conservation group. "The reasons are unclear why it happens...but we know it is a rare event at all."
This represents only the thirteenth documented instance of adoption out of nearly five thousand bears researched for almost fifty years in the area.
The female bear was first captured as she emerged from her maternity den this spring. At the time, she had a single offspring, which researchers marked for research.
In the autumn, she was spotted once more, but this time with two cubs - the original cub and another that was untagged. Scientists aren't sure what became of the second cub's birth mother, but they are attempting to identify her using genetic samples.
"The bears need all the help they can get these days with a warming climate," commented a polar bear scientist. "If females have the opportunity 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 surviving into maturity, 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 likely stay with their adoptive mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.
Following this, the bear family is anticipated to venture out to sea ice, where the youngsters will learn from their mother how to hunt seals and live on their own.
"It is heartening to know that the bears are caring for each other," added the researcher.
