Overview
- Scientists first recorded the female in spring with one ear‑tagged cub, then found her in November with a second, untagged cub near Churchill.
- Video captured by photographer Dave Sandford and GPS collar data show the female kept both cubs with her for several weeks.
- The research team has logged 13 adoptions in 45 years within the western Hudson Bay study population that includes more than 4,600 identified bears.
- Both cubs are about 10–11 months old, and researchers say having a maternal caregiver increases the orphaned cub’s odds of surviving to adulthood.
- The western Hudson Bay population has fallen roughly 30% since the 1980s due largely to sea‑ice loss, though scientists report no evidence linking this adoption to climate change.