Top 5 Contributions of Animal Cloning

Top 5 Contributions of Animal Cloning

5. Increased Knowledge of Dog and Cat Physiology – Before they were able to clone a pet, scientists had to learn the intricacies of cat and dog reproductive physiology. Before animal cloning endeavors, this area had not been extensively explored, due to lack of funding. Increased knowledge of cat and dog reproductive physiology will help in the development of contraceptives, aiding in the fight against homeless pets.

4. Better Working Animals – An animal needs a certain personality and skill set to be an ideal worker. Through animal cloning, those animals who are especially suited for a certain line of work can be cloned, and their clones will have a better chance at also being suited for the job than others would.

3. Xenotransplantation – Through advancements in animal cloning technologies, scientists have begun to understand better the process of xenotransplantation. Xenotransplantation is the transplantation of organs from one species to another. In order to do this, the organ grown in the donor must match the species it will be donated to. If you clone your pet, you support research that makes this a possibility. Humans stand to benefit from this technology, as organ donors will be more plentiful if they are not limited to humans.

2. Cloning an Endangered Species – Earlier this year, scientists successfully cloned a member of an extinct species for the first time. This is an important accomplishment for obvious reasons, and it likely would not have been possible without consumers who wanted to clone a pet. Their financial support funded the research that led to this event.

1. Transgenics – Animal cloning scientists have recently cloned the first transgenic dog. Ruppy is a puppy that was born possessing the genes of dogs and sea anemones, making him glow red in ultraviolet light. This birth has proven that trangenic cloning is possible and can be successful. The implications of this finding are immense. Dogs can now be cloned with human genes, allowing scientists to study human diseases.

Cloning Raises Status of Pets

Animal rights activists who oppose pet cloning are clearly misinformed about the process, and they fail to consider the benefits of cloning animals. Pet cloning is not harmful to the animals involved, and it does not add to the homeless pet population. Through the issue of pet cloning, society is beginning to view pets as beings that deserve acknowledgement, respect, and rights. Pet cloning is helping us, as a society, to view our pets as more than merely furry accessories.

The first obstacle that animal rights activists must overcome is the misconception that animals used in pet cloning are mistreated. Pet cloning companies are eager to point out that the elevated status of pets in our society means that they must treat cats and dogs with more respect and care than they would animals used for product testing or agricultural pursuits. Consumers of pet cloning services would expect no less of cloning companies.

In our society, we are very close to our pets – they are our companions. To some pet lovers, suggesting adoption of another pet from a shelter after the loss of a beloved pet is akin to suggesting the replacement of a lost baby with one who is adopted. Pet cloning is a controversial and costly procedure, but some people are willing to go to great lengths to have their pets cloned. In addition, the ability to clone animals that are skilled in certain areas adds value to our perception of these animals.

Animal rights activists want the best for animals, and they should understand that animal cloning may be the most important development in the area of animal rights since the introduction of the Animal Welfare Act. Supporting pet cloning implies that pets are important enough to be cloned. They are valued members of families and society, and they benefit humans greatly.

New Hope for Transplant Hopefuls

In light of the recent attention paid to the subject of human stem cell research, it seems appropriate to highlight the potential benefits to humans of cloning animals. In order to clone your pet, scientists have done extensive research on canine and feline physiology and the cloning process, and continue to do so. This research broadens the knowledge base on the subject of cloning animals and humans, and increases the potential for scientists to use cloning technology in the treatment of human ailments. As animal cloning technology advances, it becomes clear that medicine and humankind will benefit from advancements made.

One result of such research is the ability of scientists to perform xenotransplantation, which is transplantation from one species to another. The advancement of this process will allow scientists to grow human cells, tissues, or organs in other species and then transplant them to humans. Scientists have already been able to grow a tiny human heart in a mouse's body, and plans are underway for a cow to produce human blood to be used in transfusion. This is a significant victory for medicine. At any given time, tens of thousands of people are waiting for organ transplants in the United States alone. The ability of humans to receive organs from non-human donors would dramatically decrease that number. The same companies that will clone your pet are the ones that have made breakthroughs like this possible. The commercial funding that accompanies cloning your pet allows scientists to pursue animal cloning research.

Xenotransplantation is not the only benefit of animal cloning research. As the cloning process has been examined, scientists have learned important information about physiology, cloning, and reproduction. They have learned about programming and reproducing cells and how these processes can be used to help humans with diseases and defects. It is clear that pet cloning and the cloning process have proven to be valuable to humankind.

Clones = Twins

People who would like to take away your right to clone your pet claim that cloning animals is unnatural and should be outlawed. That statement is untrue and misleading. In fact, cloning happens in nature. Like clones, identical twins are two offspring that share identical genetic information. Furthermore, twinning is not limited to the human species – many species of animals, including dogs and cats, produce instances of identical twins. Thus, pet cloning is a phenomenon that occurs naturally, and pet cloning companies are merely fulfilling a demand to induce a naturally occurring process.

According to Wikipedia, the occurrence of twins is common in cats. Likewise, dogs are sometimes born in sets of twins. Although both dogs and cats are born in litters, twins are a different case. This happens when two animals of the litter are born from the same sac, meaning that they shared an egg in the womb. Humans use procedures such as in vitro fertilization and fertility treatments, implanting embryos and often causing multiple births. This is very similar to pet cloning, and is widely accepted as ethical. Technically speaking, pet cloning is creating a twin that is born later than the original. What, then, is so wrong about wanting to clone your pet?

Scientists that will clone your pet do not harm any existing animals – they simply create more animals in the images of beloved pets that unfortunately, cannot live forever. We have the technology to induce multiple births in humans, and likewise, we can create a twin of a pet by cloning animals. If a phenomenon occurs naturally and can be recreated scientifically, there is no reason to see any problem with it or to oppose it. Opponents of pet cloning should stop basing arguments on their opinions and take the facts into consideration. The process of pet cloning is ethical, and there is a consumer demand for it, so pet cloning companies provide a worthwhile service.

Make Extinction Extinct!

An amazing scientific accomplishment is set to make a major impact on the debate on cloning ethics, and it could change your mind about whether or not you would clone your pet. Earlier this month, National Geographic News ran an article about the first successful clone of an extinct species. The clone was a bucardo, a Spanish animal that went extinct in 2000. It died within minutes of birth, but that did not discourage the team responsible for this feat. They plan to improve the technology and procedure of animal cloning and make another attempt within a couple years.

This accomplishment may not have been possible without the work done by pet cloning companies. The strides that these companies have made in the scientific field of animal cloning have resulted in indispensable knowledge contributions. These companies have done research and developed pet cloning procedures as commercial ventures, funded by their customers. In other words, if you clone your pet, the fee that you pay funds research that expands scientific knowledge and helps to save species of animals that are in danger of dying out. Now, it seems we can do the same for populations that have already died out. Though the science is imperfect and has not yet resulted in a clone that has lived for a significant period of time, this is a big accomplishment. Through further funding, facilitating further research, we will someday be able to repopulate recently extinct species.

There is no denying that humankind has had an impact on our planet. Land development and increased human population has had an enormous effect on other species. There is sometimes a clear link between humans and endangerment or extinction of certain species. Through development of animal cloning, we now have an opportunity to fix the mistakes we have made. Supporting animal cloning is a responsible step to take toward healing our planet.

Why You Should Clone Your Pet

Opponents of cloning animals will tell you that it is wrong to clone your pet because there are millions of homeless pets in animal shelters, waiting to be adopted. Not only does pet cloning deny those animals precious homes, but it is also costly, and the money would be better spent by donation to a shelter. This would be a compelling argument, if in fact, the opposite were not true.

Actually, those homeless animals are a great reason for you to clone your pet. As scientists do more research into cloning animals, they learn more about their reproductive systems. Currently, the standard practice is to surgically spay or neuter pets. With better knowledge of cat and dog reproduction, gained through the cloning process, scientists can develop contraceptive methods that are cheaper and less invasive. And if you clone your pet, the cost of it goes toward such research. This is an important part of the equation, because the reproductive systems of dogs are not as well understood as those of other mammals. Without commercial interest in the subject, funds were unavailable for research into the physiology of canine reproduction.

In the long run, shelters will benefit far more greatly from introduction of a cheaper and easier way to sterilize animals than from a one-time donation. If a drug-based contraceptive is developed, it can be distributed to feral animals without the need to trap them. Also, people who may have avoided a costly surgical procedure may be more likely to give a pet a drug-based contraceptive. With non-evasive and affordable contraception available, the goal to control dog and cat populations becomes attainable.

If you want to clone your pet, chances are that you love not only your cat or dog, but all animals. The years that you spend with an animal create strong bonds and teach you much about that particular animal. Having cared for and bonded with an animal with the same genetic makeup, you can be sure that if you clone your pet, you will have a perfect match. At the same time, you will be helping to make strides in pet population control.

Better Living Through Cloning

Did you know that other than mice, dogs share more disease patterns with humans than any other animal? If you are weighing pet cloning pros and cons, that is an important fact to consider. In attempting to further the science of the cloning process, scientists have studied many aspects of canine physiology. The knowledge that they have gained has added not only to that of the cloning process, but also to general scientific, veterinarian, and medical knowledge. Their research contributes to knowledge of human physiology and adds to stem cell research, which has a therapeutic goal of curing diseases in humans.

The benefits of cloning animals are not exclusive to humans. As scientists learn more about the cloning process for pets, they will be better able to extend it to other species. This is important in the effort to protect endangered species from becoming extinct. Although habitat preservation is the best way to go about prevention of extinction, there are situations in which the population is so sparse that cloning is the best option.

In addition, dogs and cats as species benefit from the cloning process. Groups that oppose cloning animals cite pet overpopulation and overcrowded animal shelters as reasons not to pursue this scientific venture. The reality, though, is that pet cloning can help to alleviate these problems. Research on dog and cat reproduction is essential to pet cloning, and understanding dog and cat reproductive physiology can facilitate the development of drug-based contraception that is more cost-effective than the current surgical practices.

The additional good news about pet cloning is that although its benefits extend to humans and many species of animals, it is not publicly funded. People have recently paid upwards of $150,000 to clone a beloved pet. The bottom line is that there is a demand for a privately funded process that benefits the public. Pet cloning increases the body of scientific knowledge, helps us gain control of animal populations, and makes people happy. Given those facts, it is difficult to question pet cloning ethics.