Rare Polar Bear Adoption Documented In Canada

Rowan VanOsdel
Thu, 22 Jan 2026 07:49:50 -0800

Researchers in Canada confirmed a rare and remarkable event on January 1, 2026. A wild female polar bear had adopted an unrelated cub. The five-year-old mother was identified as bear X33991. She belongs to the Western Hudson Bay polar bear subpopulation in northern Manitoba. The scientists say this is only the 13th known adoption since they began tracking the group 45 years ago.