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Scientists monitoring wild polar bears in northern Canada observed something remarkably uncommon this autumn: a female bear adopting a cub that was not genetically her own.

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

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

This represents only the thirteenth documented instance of adoption out of 4,600 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. At the time, she had a single offspring, which researchers marked for study.

In the fall, she was spotted once more, but this time with two cubs - the original cub and another without a tag. Scientists aren't sure what happened to the second cub's biological mother, but they are attempting to identify her using genetic samples.

"The bears 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 raise it and see it to independence, it's a positive development for the population."

Polar bears in the wild only have a 50% chance of living into adulthood, but having a maternal figure caring for them improves their odds.

The cubs are reported as healthy, according to experts, and they will probably stay with their adoptive mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.

Next, the bear family is anticipated to venture out to the frozen ocean, where the cubs will be taught from their mother bear how to hunt seals and live on their own.

"It's just nice to know that the bears are caring for each other," concluded the researcher.