First cloned pet revives ethical debate

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.

More...