World’s Smallest Living Dog, ‘Miracle Milly’ Is Cloned 49 Times in South Korea’s Laboratory, Becomes the Most Cloned Canine
A company called the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation from Seoul cloned the chihuahua.
Grieving over the death of your dog? You'll be shocked to know that you can now clone your dog. Yes! You can make the exact same copy of your dog. While it is deemed too controversial and is also criticized, this laboratory from Korea cloned the smallest living dog who is also the world record holder reportedly about 49 times. This was done for a commercial breeder who wanted clones of the tiniest dog in the world.
The six-year-old, chihuahua called, 'Miracle Milly' entered the record books in the year 2013 is the tiniest pet in the world. This smallest dog lives in Florida with her owner only weighs over a pound. She is the smallest in terms of height, she is just 9.56 cm tall and weighs just over a pound.
What Is Cloning?
The method of creating individuals of organisms that are genetically identical is called cloning. They can be done both naturally or artificially which is otherwise naturally done by reproduction. According to biotechnology, it is a process of copying the cells or DNA fragments aka molecular cloning. There are three types of cloning, gene cloning, reproductive cloning and therapeutic cloning aka embryo cloning.
A company called the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation from Seoul cloned the chihuahua last year in August and reportedly charges about $100,000 (£75,000) to bring a pet back to life. It has reportedly carried out hundreds of successful cloning procedures.
The company's website available on the internet says that it helps "bring back the memories" of the dog that has passed away and that "cloning technology is possible for dogs of any size, age or breed". They also say that they "heal broken hearts"
However, commercial cloning is still a controversial subject and many animal welfare communities have raised concerns regarding the dogs' welfare and ethics. What do you think about it? Would you have liked to clone your dogs or would want to agree with the law of nature? Let us know in the comments section below.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 16, 2018 03:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).