The precious genes of the worlds first cloned ferret could save her species

The National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in Fort Collins, Colorado, isnt Jurassic Park, but new developments there might sound familiar to fans of the sci-fi classic. This year, the centers sole cloned ferret, a 14-month-old female named Elizabeth Ann, is expected to become the first clone to be bred for the sake of saving her species from extinction.

Three other species have been cloned for conservation: a Przewalskis horse named Kurt, and two types of Southeast Asian cattle under threat, the gaur and the banteng. But Elizabeth Ann is the only clone set to take the next step and breed, an essential step in delivering her unique genes to the shrinking black-footed ferret gene pool.

However, even Elizabeth Ann isnt 100% black-footed ferret. Somatic cell nuclear transferthe technique used to create heruses a domestic ferret as a surrogate mother, a process that leaves traces of domestic genes in the cloned offspring. To boost the black-footed ferret genes, scientists hope to one day breed Elizabeth Anns male offspring with a captive black-footed female, thereby ferreting out any domestic genes. This video shows how it can be done.