September 18, 2003

Brazil's First Clone From Dead Cow

Brazilian scientists have succeeded cloning from genetic material taken from a dead cow, the government farm and livestock research company, Embrapa, said on Wednesday.

"This technique could have use in cases when endangered species die after being hit by cars," Embrapa veterinarian Rodolfo Rumpf told Reuters.

The healthy calf was born on Sept. 4, and christened Lenda after her mother, who died in a vehicle accident in central Brazil last November, he said.

"The owners called us up after the accident, distressed over the loss of their cherished cow, and we told them to take out her ovaries and rush them to our labs," said Rumpf, who added that all the eggs had died in transit.