For Endangered Species Conservation Organizations

Cloning technology plays an important role in saving endangered animals and protecting biodiversity. Using somatic cells of endangered animals as donors, the intermediate nuclear transfer can effectively solve the problems of insufficient number and maturity of oocytes in endangered animals. Cloning technology may be one of the best ways to prevent some endangered species from disappearing from the earth.

Efforts to clone endangered animals

Gaur is a large bison that inhabits tropical woodlands in Asia. Due to overhunting and the continuous shrinking of habitats, the number of Gaur has dropped sharply, and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) has listed it as a threatened species. In 2001 in Iowa, an American cow gave birth to a cloned bison named Noah. This is the world's first great success in using cloning technology to copy one large mammal from another.

African wild cats are distributed in Africa and the Middle East and are smaller than the average domestic cat. Researchers at the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species in New Orleans, USA, announced in 2005 that their cloned wildcat bred and gave birth to two litters of kittens. Dr. Betsy Dresser, the head of the research team, said: "By improving the cloning process and then encouraging cloned animals to reproduce, we can save the genes of wild animals."

In 2000, the last Pyrenean ibex died in Spain and the species was declared extinct. But in 2009, scientists used the preserved DNA of the last Pyrenees ibex to clone a newborn sheep. Although this cloned animal survived for a short time, its successful birth gave scientists the confidence to save endangered animals by cloning.

In addition, endangered species such as mouflon, macaque, and white-tailed deer are also on the list of cloning studies. 

The cloning story of a black-footed ferret

There is a small carnivore living in North America: the black-footed ferret. They are small but fierce carnivores. They eat about 100 marmots every year. Their populations continue to decline as the decrease in the number of marmots has reduced their food sources. Coupled with the loss of habitat and the spread of infectious diseases, the black-footed ferret population is facing collapse, so that in the last century, Canada and the United States successively declared black-footed ferrets extinct.

Fortunately, a US research institute still retains the DNA of a black-footed ferret named Vera who died in 1988. The development of cloning technology has been very mature, so people thought ofusing cloning methods to rescue this endangered species. In 2020, scientists took out the nucleus of the egg from the domestic ferret, a close relative of the black-footed ferret, inserted the somatic nucleus of Vera into it, andapplied a series of techniques to make the cell function as a reproductive cell to form a fertilized egg. The fertilized egg was then transferred into a domestic ferret, where she gave birth to the clone Elizabeth Anne.

Elizabeth's genes are exactly the same as Vera's, and when it survives to adulthood, scientists will be able to mate her with existing black-footed ferrets, thereby enriching the genetic diversity and enhancing their environmental resistance.

In order to protect wildlife and improve their ability to resist risks, scientists have applied cloning technology, and believe that more and more species can escape the risk of extinction in the future. Researchers argue that we should continue to collect and preserve the genetic information of endangered animals and establish a global network of endangered species repositories, such as the “frozen zoo” at the San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research. When appropriate, use these animal tissues, combined with cloning technology, to save animals from extinction. BioVenic's cloning services for other animals can contribute to the rescue of endangered species. 

References

1. Lanza R P, et al. "Cloning Noah's ark." Scientific American 283.5 (2000): 84-89.
2. Sandler R L, et al. "An ethical analysis of cloning for genetic rescue: Case study of the black-footed ferret." Biological Conservation 257 (2021): 109-118.