Sunday, August 28, 2005
Hope for wildcats after litters born from clones - The Herald
Hope for wildcats after litters born from clones - The Herald:
SCIENTISTS in the US have produced wildcat kittens by cross-breeding cloned adults, a move which could help the Scottish species.
This is the first time clones of a wild species have bred, according to the team at the Audubon Centre for research of endangered species in New Orleans.
Eight kittens have been born in two litters over the last month, and are all said to be doing well. The researchers believe it holds enormous potential for preserving a range of endangered species by reviving their genes.
Last year, scientists warned that the Scottish wildcat was on the brink of extinction because it had bred so extensively with the domestic cat. There are believed to be only 5000 left in the wild.
SCIENTISTS in the US have produced wildcat kittens by cross-breeding cloned adults, a move which could help the Scottish species.
This is the first time clones of a wild species have bred, according to the team at the Audubon Centre for research of endangered species in New Orleans.
Eight kittens have been born in two litters over the last month, and are all said to be doing well. The researchers believe it holds enormous potential for preserving a range of endangered species by reviving their genes.
Last year, scientists warned that the Scottish wildcat was on the brink of extinction because it had bred so extensively with the domestic cat. There are believed to be only 5000 left in the wild.
SCIENTISTS in the US have produced wildcat kittens by cross-breeding cloned adults, a move which could help the Scottish species.
This is the first time clones of a wild species have bred, according to the team at the Audubon Centre for research of endangered species in New Orleans.
Eight kittens have been born in two litters over the last month, and are all said to be doing well. The researchers believe it holds enormous potential for preserving a range of endangered species by reviving their genes.
Last year, scientists warned that the Scottish wildcat was on the brink of extinction because it had bred so extensively with the domestic cat. There are believed to be only 5000 left in the wild.
SCIENTISTS in the US have produced wildcat kittens by cross-breeding cloned adults, a move which could help the Scottish species.
This is the first time clones of a wild species have bred, according to the team at the Audubon Centre for research of endangered species in New Orleans.
Eight kittens have been born in two litters over the last month, and are all said to be doing well. The researchers believe it holds enormous potential for preserving a range of endangered species by reviving their genes.
Last year, scientists warned that the Scottish wildcat was on the brink of extinction because it had bred so extensively with the domestic cat. There are believed to be only 5000 left in the wild.
# posted by Jay Brewer @ 2:28 PM 
