The Associated Press reports that a group of marine mammal biologists, all of whom focus on the study of polar bears, met during the week of August 22 to discuss the current status of the polar bear as an endangered species.

In 2008, polar bears were placed on a list of threatened species by the U.S. Department of the Interior, the agency that is charged with protecting the nation's resources. According to the news source, this decision was made based on the alarming rate at which the habitats of these animals were being disrupted by global warming.

However, the individuals who met last week discussed how little polar bear populations are actually being affected by climate in some regions. According to the experts, bears in Churchill, Manitoba, and Russia are still congregating in numbers that reach the thousands. As such, the scientists have stated that it is unreasonable to place an animal on the endangered species list simply because of projected estimates.

"At the end of the day, you can't say, 'Well, someone driving an SUV down in California on the highways is going to make polar bear cub 'A' live two years less," said Rosa Meehan, the mammals manager of Alaska.