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Researchers tracking free-roaming polar bears in northern Canada witnessed something exceedingly rare this fall: a mother bear adopting 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 migration along the Western Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba, an area renowned for its polar bear population.

"This is uncommon," stated a researcher with a polar bear conservation group. "The reasons are unclear why it happens...but we know it is a rare event at all."

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

The mother bear was initially tagged as she came out from her birthing den this springtime. Initially, she had one cub, which researchers marked for research.

In the autumn, she was spotted once more, but this time with two cubs - the original cub and a second without a tag. Scientists aren't sure what happened to the second cub's birth mother, but they are attempting to identify her using genetic samples.

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

Polar bears in the wild only have a 50% chance of living into adulthood, but having a mother providing care improves their chances.

The young bears are reported as healthy, according to experts, and they will likely remain with their adoptive mother until they are about 30 months of age.

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

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