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Researchers tracking wild polar bears in Canada's northern regions witnessed something remarkably uncommon this autumn: a mother bear adopting a cub that was not genetically her own.

The five-year-old maternal bear and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and captured on camera during the yearly polar bear journey along the Hudson Bay's western shore near Churchill, Manitoba, an area renowned for its concentration of Arctic bears.

"It's unusual," remarked a researcher with an international bear organization. "The reasons are unclear why it happens...but we know it is a rare event at all."

It's only the 13th known case of adoption out of 4,600 bears studied for almost fifty years in the area.

The female bear was initially tagged as she emerged from her birthing den this springtime. Initially, she had one cub, which scientists marked for study.

In the autumn, she was spotted once more, but this time with two cubs - the original cub and another that was untagged. Researchers are uncertain what became of the second cub's birth mother, but they are attempting to identify her using DNA analysis.

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

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

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

Next, the family is expected to venture out to the frozen ocean, where the youngsters will be taught from their mother how to hunt seals and live on their own.

"It's just nice to know that the bears are caring for each other," concluded the researcher.