. . . "EILPERIN: So what is happening right now is that while there are a number of polar bears that are out there - their estimates vary between 20,000 and 25,000 worldwide - he is where things stand right now - there is a concern that if their numbers dwindle, particularly in certain areas since there are basically 19 groupings of polar bears in the Arctic, that you could see a narrowing of the gene poo" .