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Scientists monitoring free-roaming polar bears in Canada's northern regions observed something exceedingly rare this fall: a mother bear taking in a cub that was not biologically her own.

The five-year-old maternal bear and her nearly year-old cubs were spotted and filmed during the annual polar bear journey along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale known for its concentration of Arctic bears.

"It's unusual," stated a scientist with a polar bear conservation group. "We don't really know why it happens...but we know it is a rare event at all."

This represents only the thirteenth documented instance of fostering out of nearly five thousand bears researched for almost fifty years in the area.

The mother bear was first captured as she emerged from her birthing den this springtime. At the time, she had one cub, which scientists marked for research.

In the autumn, she was spotted once more, but this time with two cubs - the original cub and a second that was untagged. Researchers aren't sure what happened to the new cub's birth mother, but they are trying to identify her using genetic samples.

"The bears need all the help they can get in the current era with a warming climate," commented a polar bear scientist. "When mother bears have the chance to take in another cub and care for it and see it to independence, it's a positive development for the bears."

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

The young bears are reported as healthy, researchers said, and they will probably remain with their mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.

Following this, the family is anticipated to head out to the frozen ocean, where the youngsters will be taught from their mother how to catch prey and live on their own.

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