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Scientists tracking free-roaming polar bears in northern Canada observed something remarkably uncommon this fall: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not genetically 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 journey along the Hudson Bay's western shore near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale renowned for its polar bear population.

"This is uncommon," remarked a researcher with an international bear organization. "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 fostering out of 4,600 bears studied for nearly five decades in the area.

The female bear was first captured as she emerged from her birthing den this spring. At the time, she had a single offspring, which researchers tagged for study.

In the fall, she was spotted once more, but this time with a pair of cubs - the initially tagged cub and a second without a tag. Researchers aren't sure what happened to the new cub's birth mother, but they are trying to locate her using genetic samples.

"The bears need all the help they can get in the current era with a warming climate," noted a polar bear scientist. "If females have the chance to pick up another cub and care for it and see it to independence, it's a positive development for the population."

Polar bears in the wild only have a 50% chance of living into maturity, but having a maternal figure providing care boosts their chances.

The young bears are reported as in good condition, researchers said, and they will likely stay with their mother until they are about 30 months of age.

Following this, the 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 is heartening to know that the animals are looking out for each other," concluded the scientist.