CARR, Colo. — Two new Black-footed ferret clones were born, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced in a news release Wednesday.
Noreen was born at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in Colorado, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said. Antonia was born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia.
They were both cloned from the genetic material of Elizabeth Ann, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Elizabeth Ann also lives at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in Colorado.
Elizabeth Ann was cloned from tissue samples collected from the Black-footed ferret Willa in 1988 and stores at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Frozen Zoo.
"The application of this technology to endangered species addresses specific genetic diversity and disease concerns associated with black-footed ferrets. The Service views this new potential tool as one of many strategies to aid species recovery alongside efforts to address habitat challenges and other barriers to recovery," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in its Wednesday news release.
Other than these three clones, all Black-footed ferrets alive today are descendants of the last seven wild animals from the endangered species. That creates limited genetic diversity among the species, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
"Besides genetic bottleneck issues, diseases like sylvatic plague and canine distemper further complicate recovery efforts. Cloning and related genetic research could offer potential solutions, aiding concurrent work on habitat conservation and reintroducing black-footed ferrets into the wild," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.
Black-footed ferrets were all but wiped out in the wild, according to AP reporting.
Because they feed exclusively on prairie dogs, they have been victims of farmer and rancher efforts to poison and shoot the rodents, the AP reported.
Thousands of them have been bred in captivity and reintroduced at dozens of sites in the western U.S., Canada and Mexico since the 1990s.
To clone these three ferrets, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service worked with zoo and conservation organizations and ViaGen Pets & Equine, according to the AP. The Texas business clones horses for $85,000 and pet dogs for $50,000.
