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Researchers tracking wild polar bears in northern Canada witnessed something remarkably uncommon this fall: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not biologically her own.

The half-decade-old maternal bear and her nearly year-old cubs were observed and captured on camera during the yearly polar bear migration along the Western Hudson Bay near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an area renowned for its concentration of Arctic bears.

"This is uncommon," remarked a scientist with an international bear organization. "The reasons are unclear why it happens...but we know it doesn't happen often at all."

This represents only the thirteenth documented instance of fostering out of nearly five thousand bears researched for nearly five decades in the area.

The mother bear was initially tagged as she emerged from her maternity den this spring. At the time, she had a single offspring, which scientists marked for study.

In the autumn, she was seen again, but this time with a pair of cubs - the original cub and another that was untagged. Researchers are uncertain what became of the second 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 climate change," commented a wildlife biologist. "When mother bears have the opportunity to take in another cub and care for it and successfully wean it, it's a good thing for the bears."

Polar bears in the natural world only have a fifty-fifty survival rate of surviving into adulthood, but having a maternal figure providing care improves their odds.

The young bears appear to be in good condition, researchers said, and they will likely remain with their mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.

Following this, the bear family is expected to head out to the frozen ocean, where the youngsters will be taught from their mother how to catch prey and survive on their own.

"It's just nice to know that the animals are looking out for each other," concluded the scientist.