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Scientists have announced the first successful cloning of an endangered species in the United States: a black-legged ferret.
The animal, named Elizabeth Ann, was born on December 10 and announced Thursday. Willa, the ferret that served as the genetic source for Elizabeth Ann, died in 1988 and froze as research into cloning just began.
Success gives conservationists hope that other species will return to the wild, although the process will require patience. The process required the use of a tame domestic ferret, and a second clone did not survive.
In this photo provided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Elizabeth Ann, the first cloned black-legged ferret and the first endangered American species to be cloned, at 50 days of age on January 29, 2021. Scientists have cloned the first American species in Endangered. , a black-footed ferret duplicated from the genes of an animal that died more than 30 years ago. They hope the slinky predator named Elizabeth Ann and her descendants improve the genetic diversity of a species once thought to be extinct but bred in captivity and successfully reintroduced into the wild. (US Fish and Wildlife Service via AP)
Other species that could benefit from cloning include a Mongolian wild horse, which was cloned and born last summer at a facility in Texas, and the extinct passenger pigeon.
“Biotechnology and genomic data can really make a difference in the field through conservation efforts,” said Ben Novak, senior scientist at Revive & Restore, a biotechnology-focused nonprofit that coordinated the clonings of ferrets and horses.
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Blacklegged ferrets are a type of weasel that is easily recognized by dark eye markings resembling a thief mask. Charismatic and nocturnal, they feed exclusively on prairie dogs while living among the sometimes large burrows of rodents.
However, the lack of genetic diversity worries scientists: the genetic similarity would make new ferrets potentially susceptible to intestinal parasites and diseases such as sylvatic plague.
In this photo provided by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Elizabeth Ann, the first cloned black-legged ferret and the first endangered American species to be cloned, at the age of 48 days on January 27, 2021. Scientists have cloned the first endangered American species. , a black-footed ferret duplicated from the genes of an animal that died more than 30 years ago. They hope the slinky predator named Elizabeth Ann and her descendants improve the genetic diversity of a species once thought to be extinct but bred in captivity and successfully reintroduced into the wild. (US Fish and Wildlife Service via AP)
When Willa died, the Wyoming Department of Game and Fish sent her tissues to a “frozen zoo” operated by the San Diego Global Zoo that maintains cells from more than 1,100 species and subspecies worldwide. . Eventually, scientists may be able to modify these genes to help the cloned animals survive.
“With these cloning techniques, you can basically freeze time and regenerate these cells,” Gober said. “We’re a long way off now in terms of tinkering with the genome to confer genetic resistance, but it’s a possibility in the future.”
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A black-footed ferret breeding facility at the Fish and Wildlife Service in Fort Collins, Colo., Takes care of Elizabeth Ann.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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