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

The five-year-old maternal bear and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and filmed during the yearly polar bear journey along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale known for its polar bear population.

"It's unusual," stated a researcher with an international bear organization. "The reasons are unclear why it occurs...but we know it is a rare event at all."

This represents only the 13th known case of adoption out of 4,600 bears studied for almost fifty years in the area.

The female bear was initially tagged as she emerged from her maternity den this spring. Initially, she had a single offspring, which researchers tagged for study.

In the autumn, she was seen again, but this time with two cubs - the original cub and another that was untagged. Scientists are uncertain what happened to the new cub's biological mother, but they are trying to identify her using genetic samples.

"The bears need every advantage they can get these days with climate change," commented a wildlife biologist. "When mother bears have the opportunity to pick up another cub and raise it and see it to independence, it's a good thing for the population."

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

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

Following this, the bear family is expected to head out to sea ice, where the youngsters will learn from their mother bear how to hunt seals and survive on their own.

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