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

The half-decade-old maternal bear and her nearly year-old cubs were spotted and filmed during the annual polar bear journey along the Western Hudson Bay near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an area known for its polar bear population.

"This is uncommon," remarked a researcher with a polar bear conservation group. "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 studied for nearly five decades in the area.

The mother bear was first captured as she came out from her maternity den this spring. Initially, she had a single offspring, which researchers marked for research.

In the autumn, she was seen again, but this time with two cubs - the initially tagged cub and a second that was untagged. Scientists aren't sure what became of the new cub's birth mother, but they are attempting to locate her using genetic samples.

"These animals need every advantage they can get in the current era with a warming climate," noted a wildlife biologist. "When mother bears have the chance to take in an additional youngster and care for it and successfully wean it, it's a positive development for the bears."

Polar bears in the natural world only have a fifty-fifty survival rate of surviving into maturity, but having a maternal figure caring for them improves their odds.

The young bears are reported as in good condition, according to experts, and they will likely stay with their mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.

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

"It is heartening to know that the bears are caring for each other," concluded the researcher.