The Pacific Legal Foundation says it is prepared to mount a legal challenge to the federal government's decision to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act.

"This listing decision is unwarranted and ill-advised," said Reed Hopper, a principal attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation. The Sacramento-based group bills itself as the nation's leading legal watchdog for property rights and a balanced approach to environmental protection.

"Credible estimates put the number of polar bears at as high as 25,000 _ five times as many as 50 years ago. Rather than rely on speculative computer models of future events, the proper analysis would rely on actual field data _ the best available science _ which shows a thriving species. The Endangered Species Act was not intended, nor does it allow, the listing of a thriving species."

And he pointed out that the decision by the United States conflicts with the government in my native country of Canada, which determined that the polar bear is not threatened with extinction in the foreseeable future. "Two‑thirds of the polar bear populations reside in Canada," Hopper said.

Here's what happened last month in Canada.

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