First 'Hand Cloned' Calf Born
AUSTRALIA – A calf has been born from a process dubbed as ‘handmade cloning’ in a global first for farming.
25 February 2013
1 minute read
The process involved a simple microscope, a micro blade dissection and a fusion machine and has been said to have great potential for the cattle industry, according to ABC Rural.
Farmer, Nev Hansen from Oaklands brangus told ABC Rural that he was thrilled to welcome the animal to the farm adding that the birth worked out better than expected.
Handmade cloning could be a step in making cloning a commercial reality for the industry, said IVF specialist Simon Walton.
"Certainly the ability to clone elite bulls cheaply and to have many of them and take them perhaps even into the far north where you can have really elite bulls servicing many, many cows.”
Mr Walton was confident of Eve’s future as she was born a healthy calf although did warn that the early weeks are vital.
"We are not expecting any complications to arise, but drawing on the experiences of those that have gone before us; we know that there can complications for up to three months.”
The new cloning method requires fewer expensive machines and, according to researchers, is efficient and fast.
TheCattleSite News Desk
