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Scientists monitoring free-roaming polar bears in northern Canada observed something remarkably uncommon this autumn: a mother bear taking in a cub that was not biologically her own.

The five-year-old mother and her nearly year-old cubs were spotted and filmed during the yearly polar bear journey along the Western Hudson Bay near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an area renowned for its concentration of Arctic bears.

"This is uncommon," stated a researcher with a polar bear conservation group. "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 fostering out of nearly five thousand bears researched for almost fifty years in that region.

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

In the fall, she was seen again, but this time with two cubs - the initially tagged cub and another that was untagged. Researchers aren't sure what happened to 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," commented a polar bear scientist. "If females have the chance 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 50% chance of living into adulthood, but having a maternal figure providing care boosts their chances.

The young bears are reported as in good condition, researchers said, and they will likely remain with their adoptive mother until they are about 30 months of age.

Next, the bear family is anticipated to venture out to sea ice, where the cubs will be taught from their mother how to catch prey and live on their own.

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