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

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

"It's unusual," remarked a researcher with an international bear organization. "We don't really know why it happens...but we know it is a rare event at all."

It's only the 13th known case of fostering out of nearly five thousand bears researched for almost fifty years in the area.

The mother bear was first captured as she emerged from her maternity den this springtime. Initially, she had a single offspring, which researchers tagged for study.

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

"The bears need all the help they can get in the current era with a warming climate," noted a polar bear scientist. "If females have the chance to pick up another cub and raise it and see it to independence, it's a good thing for the bears."

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

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

Following this, the family is expected to venture out to sea ice, where the youngsters will learn from their mother bear how to catch prey and survive on their own.

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