Canadian researchers have documented an unusual case of adoption among polar bears. “Cub adoption is quite unusual among polar bears. In 45 years, we have only seen 13 cases,” said Environment Canada scientist Evan Richardson.
In the spring, researchers first spotted a female bear emerging from her den with her cub in Hudson Bay, Manitoba, Canada. The puppy was tagged at the time, as is usual in investigations.
Scientists film the “adoption”
A few weeks ago, investigators found the same mother accompanied by another unmarked puppy. “When we looked through our data, we discovered that she had adopted a second puppy,” Richardson told AFP. The researchers managed to film the mother and the two cubs together in a snowy landscape.
Both boys are between ten and eleven months old and are expected to stay with their mother until they are two and a half years old. The fact that the rare cub is now in the care of a female increases its chances of survival, Richardson said: “It’s really fortunate that this bear is taking care of this cub, increasing its chances of survival.”
Female polar bears are “very good mothers, and when a lonely cub wanders through the tundra crying and howling, they take it under their protection.”
(afp/el)
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