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

The five-year-old mother and her nearly year-old cubs were spotted and captured on camera during the yearly polar bear migration along the Hudson Bay's western shore near Churchill, Manitoba, an area known for its concentration of Arctic bears.

"This is uncommon," remarked a researcher with an international bear organization. "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 adoption out of nearly five thousand bears studied for almost fifty years in the area.

The mother bear was first captured as she emerged from her birthing den this springtime. Initially, she had a single offspring, which scientists marked for study.

In the fall, she was spotted once more, but this time with a pair of cubs - the original cub and another that was untagged. Scientists are uncertain what became of the second cub's biological mother, but they are trying to locate 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. "If females have the chance to pick up an additional youngster and care for it and see it to independence, it's a good thing for the population."

Polar bears in the wild only have a 50% chance of surviving into maturity, but having a mother caring for them improves their chances.

The cubs are reported as healthy, 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 the frozen ocean, where the cubs 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 scientist.