A company called BioArts International has started selling clones of long-lost pets under the slogan “What if you could be best friends again?”, and wants your beloved Mr. Tinkles to be next. From the press release:
BioArts International announced today that they have delivered the world’s first commercially cloned dog, a 10-week old Labrador named Lancey, to Florida residents Edgar and Nina Otto.
“We can’t believe this day is finally here,” said Nina Otto, “We are so happy to have little Lancey in our family. His predecessor was a very special dog. We are thrilled beyond words!”
Over the next few months, five more families are set to receive cloned versions of their long-lost pets. This makes me uneasy in a way I can’t explain, and in a place I can’t quite identify. I have no problem with cloning sheep for scientific research, say. But cloning Mr. Tinkles so you can share a few more years together just seems… creepy… And if Fluffy is fair game, is grampa next?
I couldn’t find pricing information on the company site, but according to an article over at DVICE, cloning your pooch will set you back a hefty $180,000. If you’ve got the cash, you could have your very own Snowball II in three to six months.
Thanks, Nick!
Image via BusinessWire.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Jon // Jan 29, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Forget dogs, I want a mastodon, but only because the Flintstones convinced me it could be a solid vacuum cleaner. I’m sick of belts breaking.
2 Snowpea // Jan 29, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Meh, a cloned animal is rarely like the original, because identical genes won’t necessarily express identically and then there is the whole aspect of nurturing and rearing which can also affect gene expression!
Sure, it may work with plants (huge business with orchids), but look at Cc the cloned cat: the copy was nothing like its original: different fur pattern, different personality.
And I wonder how they handled the shortened telemores: Dolly the sheep died faster because her cells were older from the get-go.
3 Snowpea // Jan 29, 2009 at 9:25 pm
gah, it’s telomeres, not telemores LOL!!!
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