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Researchers monitoring free-roaming polar bears in northern Canada observed something remarkably uncommon this autumn: a female bear adopting a cub that was not biologically her own.

The half-decade-old maternal bear and her 10- to 11-month-old cubs were observed and filmed during the annual polar bear migration along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an locale renowned for its concentration of Arctic bears.

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

This represents only the 13th known case of adoption out of 4,600 bears studied for nearly five decades in that region.

The female bear was first captured as she came out 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 initially tagged cub and a second without a tag. Scientists aren't sure what became of the second cub's biological mother, but they are attempting to identify her using genetic samples.

"These animals need all the help they can get these days with a warming climate," noted a wildlife biologist. "If females have the opportunity to take in an additional youngster and raise it and successfully wean it, it's a good thing for the population."

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

The cubs are reported as healthy, researchers said, and they will probably remain with their adoptive mother until they are about 30 months of age.

Following this, the family is expected to venture out to the frozen ocean, where the youngsters will learn from their mother bear how to hunt seals and live on their own.

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