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Scientists tracking wild polar bears in Canada's northern regions observed something remarkably uncommon this fall: a female bear taking in 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 migration along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an area renowned for its concentration of Arctic bears.

"It's unusual," stated a researcher with a polar bear conservation group. "The reasons are unclear why it happens...but we know it is a rare event at all."

It's only the thirteenth documented instance of fostering out of nearly five thousand bears studied for almost fifty years in the area.

The mother bear was initially tagged as she came out from her birthing den this springtime. 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 original cub and a second without a tag. Researchers are uncertain what became of the new cub's biological mother, but they are trying to locate her using genetic samples.

"These animals need all the help they can get these days with a warming climate," commented a polar bear scientist. "If females have the chance to take in another cub and care for it and see it to independence, it's a good thing for the population."

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

The cubs are reported as in good condition, according to experts, and they will likely stay with their adoptive mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.

Next, the family is anticipated to head out to sea ice, where the cubs will learn from their mother how to hunt seals and live on their own.

"It's just nice to know that the animals are looking out for each other," concluded the scientist.