Arctic Bear Maternal Figure Adopts Youngster in Infrequently Documented Instance
Researchers tracking wild polar bears in northern Canada witnessed 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 spotted and captured on camera during the yearly polar bear journey along the Hudson Bay's western shore near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an locale renowned for its concentration of Arctic bears.
"It's unusual," remarked 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."
This represents only the thirteenth documented instance of adoption out of nearly five thousand bears researched for nearly five decades in the area.
The mother bear was first captured as she emerged from her birthing den this spring. At the time, she had a single offspring, which scientists marked for study.
In the autumn, she was spotted once more, but this time with a pair of cubs - the original cub and a second that was untagged. Scientists are uncertain what happened to the new cub's birth mother, but they are attempting to locate her using genetic samples.
"These animals need every advantage they can get in the current era with a warming climate," commented a wildlife biologist. "When mother bears have the opportunity to take in another cub and raise it and see it to independence, it's a good thing for the population."
Polar bears in the wild only have a fifty-fifty survival rate of surviving into adulthood, but having a maternal figure caring for them improves their odds.
The young bears are reported as in good condition, according to experts, and they will probably stay with their adoptive mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.
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's just nice to know that the animals are looking out for each other," concluded the scientist.
