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Scientists tracking wild polar bears in Canada's northern regions observed something exceedingly rare this fall: a female bear adopting a cub that was not biologically her own.

The five-year-old maternal bear and her nearly year-old cubs were observed and captured on camera during the yearly polar bear journey along the Hudson Bay's western shore near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an locale renowned for its polar bear population.

"This is uncommon," remarked a scientist with an international bear organization. "We don't really know why it happens...but we know it doesn't happen often at all."

It's only the 13th known case of fostering out of 4,600 bears studied for nearly five decades in the area.

The female bear was initially tagged as she came out from her maternity den this spring. At the time, she had a single offspring, which scientists tagged for research.

In the fall, she was seen again, but this time with two cubs - the original cub and a second without a tag. Researchers are uncertain what became of the new cub's birth mother, but they are attempting 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. "When mother bears have the opportunity to pick up another cub and raise it and see it to independence, it's a positive development for the bears."

Polar bears in the natural world only have a fifty-fifty survival rate of surviving into adulthood, but having a mother providing care boosts their chances.

The cubs appear to be in good condition, researchers said, and they will likely stay with their mother until they are about 30 months of age.

Next, the family is anticipated to head out to the frozen ocean, where the cubs will be taught from their mother bear how to catch prey and survive on their own.

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