Based on exhaustive work, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced the birth of two new black-footed ferret clonesa endangered specie in North America, with the aim that both reproduce when they reach maturity.
The illegal trade in the skin and offspring of a species, together with sport hunting and the risk generated by predators, are the main factors that lead a species to the danger of extinction. To situation The clearing of forests also contributes, causing the loss of natural habitat. of animals and confinement in zoos.
For its part, Antonia, the other specimen obtained through cloning, resides at the Smithsonian's National Institute of Conservation Biology and Zoo in Virginia.
According to the press report released by the FWS, the work was carried out jointly by different entities; the innovative partnership between the Service and critical species recovery partners and scientists at Revive & Restore, ViaGen Pets & Equine, the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance .
Researchers aim for the new ferret clones to reproduce by the end of the year.
Photo:
Along those lines, the statement explains that the method “addresses the specific genetic diversity and disease concerns associated with black-footed ferrets,” and aims to recover many extinct or endangered species from the earth.
As these are genetic samples from a specimen that has three times more unique genetic variations than those found in the current population, the researchers point out that The new specimens may offer advantages for current black-footed ferretswhich are descendants of the last seven wild individuals.
What's next for the new clones?
In the first instance, Researchers hope that Noreen and Antonia will reproduce when they reach the maturity stagestipulated for the end of the current year. Likewise, the FWS notes that “collaborative work between partners also aims to achieve other long-term goals, such as developing resistance to sylvatic plague and potentially other diseases.”
The service indicated that it will provide updates as investigations progress, and maintained that the birth of the new clones “does not replace or diminish in any way the Service's efforts to recover the species in the wild.”
#cloned #animal #danger #extinction