Fido can live forever, it turns out, if you’re able to fork over a six-figure sum. Well, sort of. Scientists at a biotech company in California have successfully cloned five dogs for their owners, most of whom paid between $130,000 and $170,000. While the puppies don’t look or behave exactly the same as their predecessors, who would complain about the opportunity to spend another blissful decade or two with the genetic twin of a beloved pet?
Unfortunately, having a cloned pet isn’t the same as having the original pet. Just ask Ralph and Sandra Fisher, a couple in Texas who once owned a bull named Chance. The bull acted in movies and performed at parties and was generally loved by everyone, so much so that after he died the Fishers had the animal cloned by a university lab. But the new bull, whom the Fishers named Second Chance, turned out to be less like the original than expected. And whether the blame lies with nature or nurture, there’s nothing quite like having your heart broken by a cloned pet. (Listen to the full story on This American Life.
One can also argue that we should all learn to accept a pet’s death, that children shouldn’t be shielded from mortality. And let’s not even start on the ethics of cloning.
But nevertheless, I have to admit that if I had a spare couple hundred grand in my bank account, I’d be pretty tempted to get a duplicate of my 12-year-old-but-going-strong tabby.
If you’ve got strong feelings about cloning your pets, discuss them in the beijingkids forum.
