During the annual migration of polar bears along western Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada, researchers observed unusual and extraordinary behavior: a mother bear adopted a cub that wasn’t hers. This phenomenon is extremely rare: in the last 45 years, among approximately 4,600 polar bears observed, only 13 cases of adoption have been recorded.
The event was documented thanks to photographs and videos showing the mother with two puppies at her side, one of which wore an identification tag, while the other was unrelated. The mother bear, known by the code X33991, was observed in the spring with only one cub, regularly tagged for scientific research.
In the autumn, when the researchers saw her again, she had a second untagged puppy next to her, confirming the adoption phenomenon. Genetic samples were taken from the adopted puppy to identify the biological mother and better understand the dynamics of this rare behavior.
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The role of the mother in the survival of the cubs
The presence of a mother significantly increases the chances of survival of a polar bear cub, who without her would risk not exceeding 50% of the chances of reaching adulthood. According to Dr. Evan Richardson, a polar bear expert at Environment and Climate Change Canada, mothers are so loaded with maternal instincts that they won’t leave a cub behind alone, even if it’s not biologically theirs. In some past adoptions, the adopted cubs were not orphans, suggesting cases of litter swapping between females.
Experts point out that these episodes highlight not only the maternal side of polar bears, but also surprisingly altruistic social behavior, especially in a hostile environment like the Arctic. Alysa McCall of Polar Bears International commented that, although unusual, the gesture demonstrates how bears can provide help to lonely cubs, improving their chances of survival. The puppies observed will probably be with their mother until they are 2 and a half years old, when they will begin their independence.
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