Cloned cow gives birth in Japan

TOKYO, JULY 10. A cloned cow gave birth to a female calf today at the Ishikawa Prefectural Livestock Research Centre on the coast of the Sea of Japan, the Centre announced.

The Agriculture Ministry said it was the first time a cow cloned from somatic cells had given birth in Japan. And it was believed to be the first such birth in the world, the Ministry said. The cow and calf were both healthy, according to the Centre.

The calf was 53 centimetres long and weighed 26.5 kg. Born through natural delivery, the calf stood up unassisted seven minutes after birth and drank its mother's milk, the Centre said. The cow, Kaga no. 2, was born in August 1998 and became pregnant through artificial insemination last fall. An embryo was confirmed in December.

Officials at the Centre said the birth proved that cows cloned from somatic cells can bear young as ordinary cows, adding that the birth had brought scientists closer to realising practical uses for cloning, such as improving the quality and mass production of beef. The Centre also said it would monitor the calf's growth and use it as a surrogate mother. Kaga no. 2 and its twin, Noto no. 2, were the world's first cows cloned from somatic cells.

The centre expects Noto no. 2 to give birth in September. Mr. Hiroshi Imai, a professor of applied bioscience at Kyoto University, said, ``The ability to breed has been proven in the lamb Dolly in Britain and in mice, but proof in cows signifies a big step toward the practical use of cloning technology.''

- PTI

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Section  : International
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