They managed to clone a black-footed ferret, a specification …

A female of black legged ferret became the first cloned specimen of a species native to North America in danger of extinction, which represents a major step forward in the recovery of this species whose scientific name is Mustela nigripes.

Elizabeth Ann was created from Willa’s frozen cells, a wild black-legged ferret that lived over 30 years ago. Elizabeth was born in December and was featured this week by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Revive & Restore, ViaGen Pets & Equine, San Diego Zoo Global, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Noreen Walsh, director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, noted that all of these organizations have come together to achieve “the first cloning of an endangered native species in North America, which is a promising tool for continued efforts to conservation of the black-footed ferret “.

Elizabeth Ann was given to a female at Huron Conservation Center in Colorado, who breeds her as usual with the rest of the specimens.

The Fish and Wildlife Service came to believe that black-footed ferrets were extinct until a farmer in Wyoming discovered a small population on his land in 1981.

These ferrets were captured to start a captive breeding program to recover the species, which is currently in danger of extinction. However, the low genetic diversity of blacklegged ferrets, as they are all descended from seven individuals, made recovery tasks difficult.

“Cloning can help overcome significant genetic diversity and barriers to disease resistance to support habitat conservation and the recovery of additional populations in the wild, ”said the Fish and Wildlife Service.

In turn, he pointed out that without an adequate amount of genetic diversity, a species may be more susceptible to disease and genetic abnormalities, as well as limited adaptability to conditions in nature and a decline in fertility rate.

The frozen zoo

Willa, Ann Elizabeth’s father and mother, fhe was one of the last wild ferrets to be captured and has no living descendants. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department had the foresight to preserve its genes and sent samples of its tissues to the San Diego Zoo Global Frozen Zoo in 1988.

The Frozen Zoo, which has a cryogenic bank, created a Willa cell culture and has handled the frozen cells ever since, making Ann Elizabeth’s existence possible.

In 2018, the Fish and Wildlife Service issued the first recovery permit for research into the cloning of an endangered species, allowing Revive & Restore to initiate genetic analyzes and proof of concept.

From this research, ViaGen Pets & Equine successfully created embryos from the frozen cell line and implanted them into a domestic surrogate ferret.

In addition, a genomic study recently found that Willa’s genome has three times as many unique variations as the living population. This means that if Elizabeth Ann is successful in mating and reproducing, she could provide genetic diversity unique to the species.

“Maintaining and increasing wild populations and suitable habitat remain critical to the recovery of the blacklegged ferret and will continue to be a priority for the Service,” said Mr. Walsh.

“The success of genetic cloning does not diminish the importance of addressing habitat threats to the species or the Service’s focus on habitat conservation and management to recover blacklegged ferrets. », He concluded.