What happened to the two polar bear cubs left orphaned last month after a stranded Nunavut teen shot their mother in self-defence is still unknown.

For a time, the cubs refused to abandon the carcass of their mother, according to one of the pilots who was involved in the rescue of 17-year-old Jupi Angootealuk.

Jimmy Kennedy, a Nunavut conservation officer based in Coral Harbour, said more information is needed to decide what, if anything should be done about the cubs.

In general, there are two things officials can do for orphaned or abandoned polar bear cubs: shoot them or leave them alone.

When polar bears are two to three years old, their mothers send them off on their own. Cubs younger than that would be unable to survive with the help of an adult bear.

The thin and shifting ice made it too dangerous to visit the kill location or survey the area for the bears to determine their age, Mr. Kennedy said.

It's not clear how old these cubs are, but local reports have suggested they could be around two.

Mr. Kennedy, who has been working out of the region for the past three weeks, is still hoping to talk with the young man to get more details in order to help determine what to do.