Researchers tracking wild polar bears in northern Canada witnessed something exceedingly rare this fall: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not biologically her own. The five-year-old mother bear and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and captured on camera during the annual polar bear migration along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, a town known for its polar bear population. It's unusual, Alyssa McCall, a scientist at Polar Bears International, stated. This marks only the 13th known case of adoption out of the 4,600 bears studied for nearly five decades in the area.
Initially, the mother bear emerged from her maternity den in the spring with one cub, which scientists tagged for monitoring. However, when she was seen again in the fall, she had two cubs—her original cub and another that lacked a tag. While researchers are unsure what happened to the biological mother of the new cub, they are attempting to identify her using genetic samples. Evan Richardson, a polar bear scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, highlighted the significance of such an adoption, stating, If females have the opportunity to pick up another cub and care for it and successfully wean it, it's a good thing for bears in Churchill.
The chances of polar bear cubs surviving into adulthood are about 50%, yet having a nurturing mother significantly improves their survival odds. The adopted cub appears healthy and will likely remain with its new family until about two-and-a-half years old, learning essential hunting skills from their mother on the sea ice. This heartwarming story reminds us of the challenges these magnificent creatures face, especially due to climate change, illustrating how polar bears are looking out for each other in these trying times.
Initially, the mother bear emerged from her maternity den in the spring with one cub, which scientists tagged for monitoring. However, when she was seen again in the fall, she had two cubs—her original cub and another that lacked a tag. While researchers are unsure what happened to the biological mother of the new cub, they are attempting to identify her using genetic samples. Evan Richardson, a polar bear scientist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, highlighted the significance of such an adoption, stating, If females have the opportunity to pick up another cub and care for it and successfully wean it, it's a good thing for bears in Churchill.
The chances of polar bear cubs surviving into adulthood are about 50%, yet having a nurturing mother significantly improves their survival odds. The adopted cub appears healthy and will likely remain with its new family until about two-and-a-half years old, learning essential hunting skills from their mother on the sea ice. This heartwarming story reminds us of the challenges these magnificent creatures face, especially due to climate change, illustrating how polar bears are looking out for each other in these trying times.
