Rare Polar Bear Mother Adopts Unrelated Cub in Churchill, Canada
A rare polar bear adoption near Churchill, Manitoba—one of just a few documented cases among thousands of studied bears—offers new insight into Arctic behavior.
In northern Canada, researchers recorded an exceptionally rare event: a mother polar bear caring for a cub that is not biologically hers. The sighting occurred during the annual polar bear migration along the Western Hudson Bay coast near Churchill, Manitoba.
“This is unusual,” said Alyssa McCall, a scientist with Polar Bears International. “We don’t fully understand why it happens, and it remains a rare event.”
So far, this marks the 13th verified case of adoption in a study that has tracked about 4,600 polar bears over the past five decades.
The mother, five years old, was first observed in spring after leaving her maternity den with one cub she was tagging for research. By autumn, she appeared with two cubs—the tagged youngster and an untagged one. Scientists are using genetic analysis to determine the untagged cub’s biological mother.
Environment and Climate Change Canada scientist Evan Richardson noted that climate change is adding pressure on polar bears. He said that if a female accepts a second cub, nurtures it, and weans it successfully, it benefits Churchill’s bears overall.
Wild polar bears have about a 50% chance of reaching adulthood, but maternal care can improve those odds. The cubs in this case appear healthy and are expected to stay with their mother until about two and a half years old, after which they will venture onto sea ice to learn hunting for seals.
“It’s encouraging to see bears looking out for one another under these tough conditions,” Richardson added.
Expert comment: The rare adoption underscores how flexible polar bear family dynamics can be when resources are scarce and climate stress grows. It reminds researchers that survival strategies in the Arctic continue to evolve.
Short summary: A five-year-old polar bear mother near Churchill has adopted a second cub, a rare occurrence among thousands of studied bears. The untagged cub’s origin is under investigation, while experts emphasize climate pressures as a key factor. If the adopted cub thrives, it could improve the mother’s family’s survival prospects as they move to sea ice to learn hunting, one of only a handful of documented cases in decades of research.
Key insight: In a warming Arctic, polar bears can show surprising maternal flexibility, including adopting non-biological cubs, a rare but meaningful sign of resilience. BBC News
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