Overview
- A female first seen leaving her den in March with a marked cub was filmed in November with a second, unmarked cub along Hudson Bay.
- Photographs and video of the mother with two cubs were captured near Wapusk National Park and Bird Cove by Dave Sandford/Discover Churchill, as reported by AFP.
- Adoption of cubs is exceptionally rare in the region, with only 13 cases recorded over 45 years of study involving roughly 4,600 bears, said Evan Richardson of Environment and Climate Change Canada.
- Both cubs are estimated to be 10–11 months old and are expected to remain with the female until about two and a half years of age.
- Scientists note that maternal care dramatically improves survival prospects for cubs, and without a mother a cub has little chance, according to Polar Bears International’s Alyssa McCall.