The world’s second cloned camel has been born in Dubai, the Camel Reproduction Centre in Dubai confirmed in a statement on Sunday.
The scientific team at the Camel Reproduction Centre (CRC) confirmed the birth of Bin-Soughan, a male calf, which was born at 3am on Tuesday February 23.
Bin-Soughan follows on from Injaz, who was the world’s first cloned camel and will be a year old on April 8.
Dr Nisar Ahmad Wani, head of the reproductive biology laboratory at CRC, said the new calf was cloned from the cells harvested from the skin of an elite bull.
“The ability of skin cells to reprogramme and develop to an embryo has made the process of cloning in camels easier as skin cells are easy to obtain in contrast to reproductive tissue. It will help us in the amelioration and preservation of genetically valuable animals like high milk producers, racing champions and males of high genetic merit,” added Dr Wani.
The cloning process is generally used to preserve certain elite or rare breeds of camels.
The Camel Reproduction Centre was established 20 years ago and is financed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
