Would you like to get your pet cloned?

[Editor]

The story below raises a question that whether owners of pets would like their dear pets to be cloned. Generally, the life of pets is quite less as compared to humans. So if someone who has the resources and the desire can go ahead and get a clone of the dear pet so that s/he can enjoy the company for a longer period. I, for myself will like to clone my pet dog if possible.

What is your gutfeel on the issue?

First cloned pet revives ethical debate

* 14:19 23 December 2004
* NewScientist.com news service
* Will Knight

The first cloned-to-order pet has been delivered by a US company, reigniting

debate over the ethics of commercial cloning.

The 9-week-old kitten, named Little Nicky, was cloned for a woman in Texas, to replace a 17-year-old pet cat called Nicky, which died in 2003. She paid for $50,000 for her new pet.

But experts warn that cloning will never produce a perfect replica of any animal is also associated with health problems in later life. US Animal welfare groups have also criticised pet cloning, noting that that thousands of unwanted cats and dogs have to be euthanised every year.

Little Nicky was cloned by Genetic Savings and Clone, based in Sausalito, California, US, which produced the first ever clone of a domestic cat in December 2001. The company hopes to have produced a cloned-to-order dog by May 2005.


Scientists have cloned many different animals in the laboratory, including sheep, rabbits, goats, pigs and horses. Prized cattle can also be cloned-to-order for around $20,000 each. But Little Nicky is the first clone to be sold as a pet and could mark the start of a lucrative business.

[Aditi77_k]

I am strictly against cloning and thus would never like my pet to be cloned. It is a ethical issue for me. I would like to enjoy the company of my pet till it is with me and then keep it in my memories. would never go for cloning even if i have the necessary resources

I thonk it is just a beginning of a lucrative business and nothing else.

[Editor]

Aditi, i do agree with you and can empathize that you would not like your pet cloned. But, i also feel that anyone who goes ahead and does it also has his/her own reasons/feelings behind that. What do you say?

[Neogen]

If i had a pet(i don't have one) i would npt have liked it to be cloned for the simple reason that that pet would have had a unique existence of its own. I don't believe in this funny concept of cloning....