Science
While the vast majority are in favor of abolishing all experiments related to animal cloning, Brazilian scientists have announced their intention to clone as many as eight species that are in danger of extinction.
Animals that will be born through this procedure will be kept in captivity as a kind of reserve that will be needed if these wild species disappear altogether.
Cloning animals as a way to save them
Specialists from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Agency (Embrapa), in close collaboration with the Brasilia Zoological Garden, have collected approximately 420 tissue samples (mainly from animal bodies) that will be prepared accordingly for the cloning program.
Most international environmental organizations have expressed approval for the plans of Brazilian scientists, although they still consider the preservation of species in wildlife a priority. To this end, it is proposed to more actively combat poaching and maintain their usual living conditions for wild animals. It is reported that two of the eight species (maned wolf and jaguar) that are considered as the closest possible candidates for cloning live in a tropical shroud in Brazil.
Cloning of rare animals will begin with the Grivia wolf
“Since cloning is essentially a last resort, it can be invaluable for the conservation of some species,” says Ian Harrison of the International Conservation Organization an organization based in Arlington, Virginia, USA. “It is extremely important to conduct appropriate experiments now, using species that are not in immediate danger of extinction.” Many other scientists join Harrison's opinion.
Embrapa employees plan to begin cloning the maned wolf within the next month, of which only 13,000 animals have been preserved in South America. It is reported that researchers, in addition to the above two species, are also going to clone a black lion marmoset, a bush dog, a coati (a Brazilian mammal of the raccoon family), a four-toed anteater, a gray mazam (a mammal of the deer family) and a bison.
