The world first cloned arctic wolf made its public debut at the Harbin Polarland in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Wednesday.
It was born in a Beijing lab on June 10, announced the Beijing-based Sinogene Biotechnology Co on Sept 19.
Its donor cell came from the skin samples of a wild arctic wolf named Maya, who was introduced from Canada to the Harbin Polarland. Its oocyte was from a female dog in estrus and its surrogate mother was a beagle.
"The main reason for us to clone Maya is that it is the first arctic wolf introduced into our Harbin Polarland, and the city, in 2006. In 2020, when Maya was 15 years old, she had many health problems and the wolf was old. As we have deep feelings for Maya, we wanted to replicate a Maya to commemorate and retain her, so we thought of the technology of cloning," said Dai Rui, president of the Harbin Polarpark.
Now the wolf pup is in good health and lives with her surrogate mother in the park.
Now the wolf pup is in good health and lives with her surrogate mother in the park.
"Now this little arctic wolf Maya we cloned lives in good health at the Polarpark and is in normal condition in every aspect, no different from a wild Arctic Wolf of her age," said Dai.
Arctic wolves are thought to have evolved from a lineage of other canids about 50 million years ago. Scientists believe that arctic wolves were isolated in very cold habitats during the Ice Age. It was during this time that they developed the adaptations necessary to survive in the extreme cold of the Arctic.
Due to constant threat from poachers and erosion of their living space, arctic wolves are now included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Endangered Species.
The endangered species is found in northern Eurasia and northern parts of Canada and Greenland.
