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Scientists monitoring wild polar bears in Canada's northern regions witnessed something exceedingly rare this fall: a female bear adopting a cub that was not biologically her own.

The five-year-old maternal bear and her nearly year-old cubs were observed and filmed during the yearly polar bear journey along the Hudson Bay's western shore near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an locale known for its concentration of Arctic bears.

"This is uncommon," stated a researcher with an international bear organization. "We don't really know why it occurs...but we know it is a rare event at all."

It's only the thirteenth documented instance of fostering out of 4,600 bears studied for almost fifty years in that region.

The mother bear was first captured as she emerged from her birthing den this springtime. Initially, she had one cub, which researchers marked for research.

In the fall, she was seen again, but this time with a pair of cubs - the original cub and a second 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.

"The bears need every advantage they can get in the current era with a warming climate," commented a polar bear scientist. "If females have the chance to take in another cub and care for it and successfully wean it, it's a positive development for the population."

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

The cubs appear to be in good condition, researchers said, and they will probably remain with their adoptive mother until they are about 30 months of age.

Next, the bear family is expected to head out to sea ice, where the youngsters will learn from their mother how to catch prey and survive on their own.

"It is heartening to know that the animals are caring for each other," added the scientist.