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Scientists monitoring free-roaming polar bears in Canada's northern regions witnessed something exceedingly rare this autumn: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not genetically her own.

The five-year-old mother and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and captured on camera during the annual polar bear migration along the Hudson Bay's western shore near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale renowned for its concentration of Arctic bears.

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

It's only the 13th known case of fostering out of 4,600 bears researched for almost fifty years in the area.

The female bear was first captured as she came out from her maternity den this springtime. Initially, she had one cub, which researchers marked for research.

In the fall, she was spotted once more, but this time with a pair of cubs - the initially tagged cub and another without a tag. Scientists are uncertain what became of the new cub's biological mother, but they are attempting to identify her using DNA analysis.

"These animals need all the help they can get these days with climate change," noted a polar bear scientist. "When mother bears have the opportunity to pick up another cub and raise it and successfully wean it, it's a good thing for the bears."

Polar bears in the wild only have a 50% chance of living into adulthood, but having a maternal figure caring for them boosts their chances.

The young bears are reported as healthy, according to experts, and they will probably stay with their mother until they are about 30 months of age.

Next, the family is anticipated to head out to the frozen ocean, where the cubs will be taught from their mother bear how to hunt seals and survive on their own.

"It's just nice to know that the animals are caring for each other," added the researcher.