This week brought to light the news that former NFL star Tom Brady has cloned his beloved dog, Junie, from his deceased pit bull mix, Lua, who passed away in 2023. This announcement aligns Brady with other celebrities, such as Paris Hilton and Barbra Streisand, who have also opted for pet cloning. While these high-profile cases often capture public attention, they raise questions about the ethical implications of cloning, particularly when more significant applications of this technology could address pressing issues in biodiversity and conservation.
Cloning technology is not a novel concept; it gained notoriety with the birth of Dolly the sheep in the 1990s, the first mammal cloned from an adult somatic cell. Since then, this technology has found applications in livestock breeding, enabling farmers to replicate animals with desirable traits, such as high milk production or superior size. By preserving the genetic material of these valuable animals in biobanks, scientists can clone them in the future, creating genetically identical individuals that can produce offspring without the unpredictability of traditional breeding methods. However, the cloning process is complex and involves intricate techniques, including the transfer of DNA from donor cells into egg cells, leading to the development of embryos that are ultimately implanted into surrogate animals.
While companies like Viagen, which has cloned numerous pets and charged upwards of $50,000 for the service, have garnered attention, the ethical considerations surrounding cloning cannot be ignored. Critics, including animal welfare organizations like PETA and the RSPCA, argue that cloning for personal reasons is trivial and unjustifiable, regardless of the emotional bonds people have with their pets. Moreover, cloned animals, while genetically similar, may not exhibit the same personalities or traits as their originals due to factors like mitochondrial DNA differences and the environment in which they grow up. On a more hopeful note, cloning technologies are also being utilized in conservation efforts to expand the genetic diversity of endangered species. For example, scientists have successfully cloned black-footed ferrets and Przewalski’s horses from frozen tissue samples, aiming to mitigate the risks that inbreeding poses to these populations. However, experts emphasize that cloning alone cannot resolve the broader issues of habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict that threaten these species.
Despite her involvement in cloning efforts for endangered animals, conservation geneticist Samantha Wisely shares her personal stance on pet cloning, stating she would not clone her own pets, as she believes in supporting the many rescue animals in need of homes. This perspective highlights a crucial aspect of the cloning debate: while the technology has the potential to aid in conservation, it also raises ethical questions about our responsibilities toward animals and the environment. As cloning technology continues to evolve, it is essential to balance its applications for personal desires with its potential to foster biodiversity and support endangered species.
Source: Cloning isn’t just for celebrity pets like Tom Brady’s dog via MIT Technology Review