Science
Related: About this forumFirst Clone of Endangered Przewalski's Horse Born in Conservation Effort to Save the Species
From https://time.com/5886467/clone-endangered-przewalskis-horse-zoo/
The cloned Przewalskis foal at the Texas veterinary facility of ViaGen Equine collaborator, Timber Creek Veterinary, on Aug. 28. Scott Stine
BY MADELEINE CARLISLE
SEPTEMBER 6, 2020 11:51 AM EDT
The first successfully cloned endangered Przewalskis horse was born on Aug. 6 in a veterinary facility in Texas, San Diego Zoo Global announced on Friday. The horse was cloned from DNA of a male Przewalskis horse cryopreserved by the zoo in 1980.
Przewalskis horses are critically endangered animals that are found in Mongolia, per Smithsonians National Zoo. Theyre considered the last species of truly wild horses and are distant cousins of modern day domestic horses, having likely split from a common ancestor around 500,000 years ago, per the Smithsonian.
Przewalskis horses were once extinct in the wild, and while intensive breeding programs helped revive the species and reintroduce them into the grasslands of China and Mongolia, nearly all can be traced back to 12 Przewalskis horses that were born in the wild, the San Diego Zoo said in its press release. The successful cloning of DNA collected 40 years is meant to introduce key generic diversity into the species that could benefit its survival. The zoo said the cloned Przewalskis horse will eventually be transferred to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and integrated into a herd of other Przewalskis horses for breeding.
The work to save endangered species requires collaborative and dedicated partners with aligned goals, Paul A. Baribault, president of San Diego Zoo Global, said in a statement. We share in this remarkable achievement because we applied our multidisciplinary approach, working with the best scientific minds and utilizing precious genetic material collected and stored in our wildlife DNA bio bank.
[...]
wendyb-NC
(3,321 posts)Thank you, for posting. Science matters.
jaxexpat
(6,818 posts)To regenerate and preserve a species whose ancient name was "lox" (root for the word "law" to the people who domesticated them. Or more, perhaps, the people they domesticated.
There's a new sheriff in town and (he/she)'s cute, too.
bucolic_frolic
(43,123 posts)they've cloned the offspring from two Przewalskis in a test tube, and then used a regular horse or donkey for gestation. Gotta be a lot going on there. Immune, bio, allergy, mismatches in the blood. Hope it works out.
mysteryowl
(7,376 posts)move these cold weather horses to a cold climate. See all the fur inside the ear, that is for cold weather protection. California is not the right location for this species.
Peace
jeffreyi
(1,938 posts)Mammoths and rhinos are being examined for clining as well.