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Researchers monitoring free-roaming polar bears in northern Canada observed something exceedingly rare this autumn: a female bear taking in a cub that was not biologically her own.

The half-decade-old maternal bear and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and filmed during the annual polar bear migration along the Hudson Bay's western shore near Churchill, Manitoba, an area known 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 occurs...but we know it doesn't happen often at all."

This represents only the 13th known case of adoption out of nearly five thousand bears researched for almost fifty years in the area.

The mother bear was initially tagged as she emerged from her birthing den this spring. Initially, she had one cub, which scientists tagged for study.

In the autumn, she was seen again, but this time with a pair of cubs - the initially tagged cub and another without a tag. Researchers aren't sure what became of the second cub's biological mother, but they are attempting to identify her using DNA analysis.

"These animals need all the help they can get in the current era with climate change," commented a wildlife biologist. "When mother bears have the chance to take in an additional youngster and raise it and successfully wean it, it's a good thing for the bears."

Polar bears in the natural world only have a 50% chance of surviving into maturity, but having a mother providing care boosts their chances.

The cubs are reported as in good condition, researchers said, and they will probably remain with their mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.

Following this, the bear family is anticipated to venture out to the frozen ocean, where the cubs will learn from their mother how to catch prey and survive on their own.

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