A Rare Act of Compassion: Polar Bear Adoption Caught on Camera
A mother polar bear and two cubs are photographed in November, near Bird Cove in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area. When scientists last spotted the mother bear in March, she had only one cub, pointing them to the conclusion that she had added another bear to her brood by adopting a lost cub. (Dave Sandford Photography)
As scientists warn that much of the world’s polar bear population could disappear within the next 25 years, researchers say a rare act of compassion offers a small but meaningful bright spot.
Researchers working near Churchill, Manitoba, recently observed something almost never seen in the wild: a mother polar bear caring for a cub that was not her own. A female bear first spotted in March with a single cub was photographed again in mid-November in Wapusk National Park—this time accompanied by two cubs, according to the CBC.
Scientists quickly noticed that one cub did not have the GPS tracking collar worn by the other two. Genetic testing later confirmed that the uncollared cub had been adopted.
This marks only the 13th documented case of cub adoption in the western Hudson Bay polar bear population over 45 years of research involving more than 4,600 bears, CBS News reports. Because only about 10 female polar bears in the region are fitted with GPS collars each year, witnessing and confirming an adoption in real time is especially rare.
Researchers estimate the mother bear—identified as X33991—is about five years old, while both cubs are roughly 10 to 11 months old. Although scientists do not know what happened to the adopted cub’s biological mother, they believe a strong maternal instinct likely led the female to take in the orphaned cub.
Polar bears are known for their intense maternal care. Environment and Climate Change Canada scientist Evan Richardson says a mother bear may be unable to ignore a vulnerable cub in distress on the tundra. Cubs typically stay with their mothers for two to two-and-a-half years, learning how to hunt and survive. Without that protection, a cub’s chances of reaching adulthood are nearly zero.
The adoption gives this cub a real chance at survival—a rare but significant outcome as climate change continues to reduce sea ice and limit access to seals and other high-fat prey. “The bears need all the help they can get,” Richardson told the CBC, calling the event “a feel-good story,” according to CBS News.
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