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Researchers monitoring wild polar bears in Canada's northern regions witnessed something exceedingly rare this autumn: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not genetically her own.

The five-year-old maternal bear and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and filmed during the annual polar bear migration along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale renowned for its polar bear population.

"This is uncommon," remarked a scientist with an international bear organization. "We don't really know 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 that region.

The female bear was first captured as she came out from her maternity den this spring. Initially, she had a single offspring, which scientists marked for study.

In the fall, she was spotted once more, but this time with two cubs - the initially tagged cub and another that was untagged. Researchers are uncertain what became of the new cub's biological mother, but they are trying to locate her using DNA analysis.

"These animals need every advantage they can get these days with a warming climate," noted a polar bear scientist. "When mother bears have the chance to pick up an additional youngster and care for 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 living into maturity, but having a maternal figure providing care improves their odds.

The young bears are reported as in good condition, according to experts, and they will likely stay with their mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.

Following this, the bear family is expected to venture out to the frozen ocean, where the cubs will learn from their mother bear how to catch prey and survive on their own.

"It is heartening to know that the animals are looking out for each other," concluded the scientist.