The polar bear or Ursus maritimus could be soon officially recognized as the first animal threatened with extinction because of global warming. Meanwhile, a Greenpeace activist dressed in a polar bear suit, sat quietly in a paddleboat in a park pond in front of the Department of Interior in Washington and was taken to jail by law enforcement.

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others," said Kassie Siegel, an attorney with the non-profit Center for Biological Diversity. "And then there is the polar bear."

In December of 2005, Greenpeace and two other conservation groups sued the Bush administration when it missed its first legal deadline to respond to the petition for an endangered species listing concerning the Ursus maritimus species. On December 27, 2006, the Service announced its proposal to list the species as "threatened" and had one year to make a final listing decision, until January 9, 2008 that is.

Greenpeace announced that the Administration once again missed its deadline set by law thus preventing the enlisting of polar bears under the United States Endangered Species Act, which would give the species a broad range of protection. Among other protection, it would guarantee that any action carried out, authorized, or funded by the United States government will not "jeopardize the continued existence" of polar bears, or adversely modify their critical habitat.

Alaska is the only place in the United States where the Ursus maritimus lives. If the planet continues warming, two-thirds of the polar bear population could be gone by 2050, environmental groups allege. The groups are also concerned of oil drilling plans in polar bears' habitat which appear to go forward unrestricted.

"Polar bears are already facing potentially catastrophic threats from global warming, vanishing habitats, toxic pollution, and trophy hunting," said Jeffrey Flocken, Office Director, IFAW Washington, D.C. "Representing over 2 million animal welfare advocates around the world, IFAW hopes that the Bush Administration will choose to list the polar bears as endangered, resulting in meaningful protection from these threats."

The polar bear or Ursus maritimus is a bear native to the Arctic which weighs usually 660–1320 lb when adult. The name maritimus comes from the fact that the polar bear is regarded as a marine mammal due to its intimate relationship with the sea, even if it lives on ice and land.