The chances are you haven’t seen a black-footed ferret, also known as prairie dog hunter, because the species were thought to be extinct. Only in 1981, seven of North America’s only ferret species were found on a Wyoming ranch. Seven years later, one of the ferrets called Willa had its cells frozen following its death, as the DNA technology was first developed.
Fast forward to today and Elizabeth Ann was born using the same frozen cells taken from Willa 33 years ago. This cute little ferret arrived via C-section on December 10, and became the first-ever cloned endangered US species.
This marks a groundbreaking step in recovery of endangered species. “The birth of Elizabeth Ann could help address genetic barriers faced by many imperiled wildlife,” stated US Fish And Wildlife on Twitter.
A newborn ferret named Elizabeth Ann is a genetic copy of another creature called Willa, whose cells were collected after death and successfully used in the cloning.
Scientists have cloned an endangered US animal for the first time, creating a black-footed ferret named Elizabeth Ann from the frozen cells of an ancestor in a landmark achievement that boosts conservation efforts.
Elizabeth Ann was made from the cells of Willa, another black-footed ferret who lived more than 30 years ago, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) said as they revealed her to the world on Thursday.
She was born to a surrogate mother in December, and scientists hope she will eventually be able to mate and help rescue the species from the brink of extinction,
Black-footed ferrets are one of North America s most endangered species. They were declared extinct in 1979, but a Wyoming rancher discovered a small population living on his land two years later and that group formed the start of a breeding program.