American scientists have just announced slotxo the first ever cloning of endangered species in the United States. This is a black-footed ferret that was created from the cells of an animal that had died 30 years ago.
Officials from the US Fish and Wildlife Service said the black-footed ferret, Elizabeth Ann, was born on Dec. 10, using Ferret's freeze-cell reproduction method. The black-footed Willa, who died in ADC. 1988
The cloning is intended to enable the recovery of extinct species. The black-footed ferret cloning project is part of efforts to build populations of this endangered species.
Noreen Walsh, director of the National Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center. North of Colorado As part of the agency Fish and Wildlife Service said in the announcement of the success of the cloning, "This project will help this ongoing effort to conserve black-footed ferrets."
The black-footed ferret is easily recognizable by the black marks on the feet and around the eyes. They hunt and eat prickly dogs.
However, success stories of black-footed ferrets have been around since before cloning. People think they are extinct. Because the Prairie Dogs they eat are starting to run out of being shot and poisoned by farmers who want to create a better environment on their land for cattle.
But in 1981, a black-footed ferret was discovered in Wyoming. Scientists then assembled the rest of their population for captive mating breeding programs. Thousands of black-footed ferrets were then released to the West Coast of the United States. And Canada and Mexico since 1990.
However, the lack of genetic diversity poses a risk to the black-footed ferret population. All the animals returned were from just seven nearby species. This genetic similarity makes them vulnerable to serious health problems.
When Willa died, the Wyoming Game and Fish agency sent its tissues to the The "Frozen Zoo", managed by San Diego Zoo Global, the zoo collects cells from more than 1,100 animal species, as well as all subspecies. From around the world too
In the future, scientists hope to change those genes to help cloned animals survive.
Pete Gober, head of the Fish and Wildlife Service's black-footed ferret population rehabilitation program, said that basically these cloning allows time-fixing and regeneration of those cells. And although it can take a long time to reach the genetic engineering level, But he hoped that this was possible.