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Researchers monitoring wild polar bears in Canada's northern regions observed something remarkably uncommon this fall: a female bear adopting a cub that was not genetically her own.

The five-year-old mother and her nearly year-old cubs were spotted and filmed during the annual polar bear migration along the Hudson Bay's western shore near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an locale renowned for its polar bear population.

"This is uncommon," remarked a scientist with a polar bear conservation group. "The reasons are unclear why it occurs...but we know it doesn't happen often at all."

This represents only the 13th known case of adoption out of 4,600 bears studied for nearly five decades in that region.

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

In the fall, she was seen again, but this time with two cubs - the initially tagged cub and another without a tag. Researchers are uncertain what became of the second cub's biological mother, but they are trying to locate her using DNA analysis.

"The bears need every advantage they can get in the current era with a warming climate," commented a polar bear scientist. "When mother bears have the opportunity to take in 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 surviving into maturity, but having a mother caring for them boosts their odds.

The cubs appear to be in good condition, according to experts, and they will likely remain with their mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.

Following this, the family is expected to venture out to sea ice, where the youngsters will learn from their mother how to catch prey and live on their own.

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