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Scientists monitoring 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 half-decade-old mother and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and captured on camera during the yearly polar bear journey along the Western Hudson Bay near the Manitoba town of Churchill, an area known for its polar bear population.

"It's unusual," stated a researcher 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 thirteenth documented instance of fostering out of 4,600 bears studied for nearly five decades in the area.

The female bear was first captured as she came out from her maternity den this springtime. At the time, she had one cub, which researchers tagged for study.

In the fall, she was seen again, but this time with a pair of cubs - the initially tagged cub and another without a tag. Researchers aren't sure what happened to the new cub's biological mother, but they are trying to locate her using DNA analysis.

"The bears need all the help they can get these days with climate change," noted 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 good thing for the population."

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

The cubs appear to be in good condition, according to experts, and they will probably stay with their adoptive mother until they are about two-and-a-half years old.

Next, the bear family is anticipated to venture out to the frozen ocean, where the cubs will learn from their mother bear how to hunt seals and survive on their own.

"It is heartening to know that the bears are looking out for each other," concluded the researcher.