Chinese researchers have succeeded in cloning a wolf Arctic. It is about a wolf named Maya and born on June 10. A world first received by Mi Jidong, director of the Chinese company Sinogene Biotechnology, during a press conference offered in beijing Monday, says the state media globaltimes.
The beginning of research on this cloning date 2020. Scientists were inspired by the technique used to clone the sheep doll in 1996. They were able to recover a cell from an arctic wolf that died in 2021. By extracting the nucleus, they were able to establish the genome of the species. The core was then injected into a female dog’s ovum. The researchers took it upon themselves to eliminate the animal’s reproductive cell to prevent the two DNA link.
An important event”
Thus, 85 embryos were obtained. They were introduced into the bellies of seven beagles. From there Maya was born. This birth is a “significant event, of great importance for the protection of wildlife in the world and the restoration of Endangered Species “Said the Chinese National Food and Drug Control Institute. The animal would be in very good health and is destined to integrate the Harbin Polarland park in northeast China.
The arctic wolf, also called the white wolf or polar wolf, is not an endangered species, remember Geo. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has included it in the category of “least concern”.
A solution for endangered species?
Most wolves live north of the Canadian Arctic archipelago, known for its harsh climate and where hunters are rare. A situation that protects animals from humans. But they are threatened by global warming, which has consequences for their diet, and by the human constructions that cross their territory, such as roads.
Cloning would be a solution to the problem of endangered species. Another wolf is expected to be born in the coming months, according to Sinogene Biotechnology.