Amazing news! San Diego Zoo global have successfully cloned a male Przewalski’s Horse, named Kurt. Kurt was born on Aug. 6 at a Texas veterinary center, and he was cloned using skin cells taken from a male in 1980. His surrogate mum, a domestic horse, is currently raising him, but it is expected for him to head to the San Diego Safari Park to help with their breeding program in just over a years time. https://phys.org/news/2020-10-zoo-scientists-revive-cells-year.html San Diego Zoo scientists revive cells from 40-year deep freeze to clone endangered horse
I would assume they are using this as practice for then the time comes that they're female southern white rhino Nikita gives birth to a Northern White Rhino
What do you mean by practice? The birth is a significant achievment considering they are critically endangered. It will hopefully help efforts to breed (and clone) Przewalski's horse in captivity. Hid genetics will hopefully help diversify the captive gene pool, hence, he will be moving into San Diego's breeding program once he gets older.
In one zoo books I read a story from long ago, that some American zoo imported a Przewalski horse from Europe for breeding, alas, received the male already vasectomized. I wonder if it was the same Kurt which was cloned?
Hmmm. How long ago was this? It could be a possibility....do you know which zoo he went to? I've tried to scour around for more details in regards to him, but all found was that he died in 1980.
Sorry poor choice of words, this is an amazing achievement and what I was trying to say was this could be how they get a northern white rhino calf as they have plans to do something similar
He had been cloned from a Przewalski’s horse stallion named Kuporovic who was born in 1975 in the UK, and transferred to the US in 1978. He was recorded as Stud Book number 615 and lived until 1998. Clone of long-dead Przewalski’s horse offers genetic hope for endangered species - Horsetalk.co.nz
