A Chinese biotechnology company has achieved the first-ever cloning of an arctic wolf, a species listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, according to state media reports.
The announcement followed two years of research and comes 100 days after the birth of the animal, a wolf named “Yeast” in the laboratory setting. The firm, Sinogene Biotechnology, is headquartered in Jiangsu province in eastern China.
The donor cell used to create the clone was a skin sample taken from a Canadian female Arctic wolf. Zhao Jianping, deputy director of Sinogene, explained that the oocyte originated from an unspecified dog and that the pregnancy was carried by another female Beagle.
According to Zhao, a total of 85 embryos were implanted into the wombs of seven Beagle bitches. The selection of a Beagle as the surrogate was based on genetic similarities between the two species.
Polar wolf image example ucrinform
Mi Jidong, the company’s director, cited in the Global Times that this represents the first documented case worldwide of cloning a polar wolf.
Over time, the cloned wolf, named Maya, will be moved to Harbin Polarland, a theme park in Heilongjiang province in the northeast. It will not be introduced there immediately, due to concerns about how other Arctic wolves in the park might adapt to living in a pack.
Open the door to the rescue of endangered animals
Experts cited by the Chinese newspaper say this cloning achievement could pave the way for artificial breeding of other threatened or endangered species, potentially aiding in their survival by increasing population numbers.
Sinogene also announced plans to sign an agreement with Beijing Wildlife Park to advance research on cloning applications for wildlife reproduction and conservation.
Other scientists, while acknowledging the project’s success, also raised concerns about cloning and the associated technical and ethical questions. They noted the need to examine how such procedures may affect animal welfare.
Despite progress in cloning technology in recent years, Sun Quanhui, a scientist with the World Animal Protection organization, told the Global Times that there is still much to learn about potential health risks to cloned animals.
Sun also discussed the conditions under which cloning is permissible and how it might impact biodiversity, arguing that this technique should be reserved for species facing extinction or already extinct with individuals surviving in captivity.
China has previously reported advances in cloning technology, including the birth of two genetically identical primates in 2018 using the same approach that produced the famous Dolly the sheep.
In 2019, the country faced a major controversy sparked by a scientist who claimed to have created the first genetically edited babies to resist HIV. The ensuing turmoil prompted authorities to investigate and led to a three-year prison sentence for the scientist, who was released last year. The incident prompted a review of regulations governing human genetic modification, which now requires nationwide approval for clinical research in this field or any other high‑risk biomedical technologies.
Last March, the Chinese government released new guidelines aimed at reforming ethics review processes in fields such as life sciences, medicine, and artificial intelligence.
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