Pet cloning is a controversial industry but is still growing in popularity, especially among the affluent society, despite its growing cost. Historical records suggest that humans have started befriending dogs about 15,000 to 25,000 years ago, drawn by the smell of human food. Thanks to the evolutionary friendship between dogs and humans, they have become inseparable, with some even resorting to pet cloning in modern days to keep their beloved.
Although pet cloning technology has already been around for almost a decade, some scientists are still not convinced of its necessity. Some questioned its benefits and process. So, why do rich people spend thousands of dollars to clone their furry friends?
This picture taken on June 29, 2016 shows cloned dogs in a glass-fronted pen at a care room of the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, a world leader in pet cloning, in Seoul.
The Procedure of Pet Cloning: Are They Healthy?
Producing a cloned pet requires several similar species to help bring it to life, according to National Geographic. John Woestendiek explained that aside from tissue sampling from the original dog, they need to harvest egg cells from dogs that are in heat. The nucleus from the egg cell is removed from the original donor's eggs.
Then they need to zap the merged cells with electricity to start dividing and implant them into a surrogate mother that will carry the embryo to full term. South Korea-based Sooam Biotech and American company ViaGen confirm that live births are used to create their clones. It could take about 60 days after injection for the cloned embryo to be born.
Cloned pets have the same genes as their donor, although there might be slight variations in how these genes are expressed phenotypically. But in terms of personality, it is influenced by the environment where the cloned dog is born and is unlikely replicated during the procedure.
Cloned pets are generally healthy, but some could have slight complications in their reproductive systems, especially dogs. The first cloned dogs were Afghan and Snuppy from South Korea. Snuppy lived for 10 years before dying of cancer, while Afghan lived for 11 years.
There are ethical issues in animal cloning. The most compelling argument is the pain suffering endured by the animals involved. They suffer during the cloning procedure and may have health problems.
Why Do Pet Owners Clone Their Cats and Dogs?
John Mendola, a retired New York police officer, brought in a scruffy stray dog in 2006 that he named Princess after the numerous heroines in Disney animated movies. But in 2016, 10 years after he took in the dog, the veterinarian told Mr. Mendola that Princess had cancer.
He immediately called ViaGen Pets and Equine, a Texas-based company that offers commercial cloning of dogs and cats for $50,000 and $30,000, respectively. According to BBC News, he first got the idea of pet cloning after watching a documentary about a South Korean firm practicing the technology since its successful cloning of a dog in 2005.
The company took tissue samples from Princess before she passed away in 2017. Those genetic materials were able to produce two clones that are genetically identical to Princess. Mr. Mendola named them Princess Ariel and Princess Jasmine. He noted that their spots and mannerisms were all the same to Princess.
Perhaps the most famous public figure who had her pets cloned is the famous singer and actress Barbra Streisand, who also shared to Variety that she had her dog Samantha cloned. She said in an interview with the magazine that she had her 14-year-old Coton du Tulear cloned after she died in 2018. She named the two clones Miss Scarlet and Miss Violet.
Although pet cloning is expensive, paying thousands of dollars is feasible for any pet owner who belongs to the high-paying crowd. But whether pet cloning is ethical or unethical remains a debate.
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