WILL THE CLONING OF PANDAS BE NEXT?

The New York Times ; June 22, 1999; Beijing, CHINA, Dateline: June 21, 1999 (AP) -- Scientists in China said today that they had taken a step toward cloning a giant panda by growing an embryo that contained a dead panda's genes. The scientists said the development could be a breakthrough in efforts to save the panda, which is in danger of extension.

Scientists from the Government-financed Chinese Academy of Sciences grew the embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit, the state- run Xinhua News Agency said today. The embryo was nurtured over ten months, and scientists are now trying to implant it in a host animal's uterus. "If it works, they will possibly have created the world's first cloned panda," Xinhua said. Although scientists have cloned other large animals, notably Dolly the sheep, the cloning has required repeated efforts, with many failed pregnancies.

Earlier, China announced plans to try to clone a giant panda in three to five years. But Chen Dayuan, who leads the panda project, said "scientists believed they would need less time," Xinhua reported. The news agency hailed the development as a potentially "critical and exciting breakthrough" for saving the species, which is unique to China. Only about 1,000 pandas live in the wild, with another 100 in zoos, and experts have warned that the animal could become extinct in a couple of dozen years.

The Los Angeles Times Dateline: September 11, 1998-- Professor Chen Dayuan, Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, has proposed to turn to mammalian cloning in a bid to save the panda species from extinction. Inspired by the cloning of Dolly the sheep in Scotland, a cow in New Zealand, and mice in Hawaii, Prof. Chen proposes a trans-species cloning, which has never been attempted before. Due to intense objections to using the endangered pandas as experimental animals, he proposes to implant panda embryos into a surrogate mother of another species, such as a black bear.

Pandas -- not known for their ardor -- are a difficult species to breed in captivity. The female goes into heat only once a year, and then for only about 72 hours! The male frequently is inexperienced regarding the use of his own organ, about the size of a thumb. Even after a positive pregnancy, it's very difficult for the veterinarian to know what's going on. Ultrasound is complicated by the small size of the fetus - "It's so small, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack." The egg is typically free-floating in the uterus for up to three months before implanting in the uterine wall. Unlike other mammals, even detectable hormone levels don't offer much of a clue. Post partum, newborn pandas are really tiny and are frequently at risk for being stepped on by the mother. Twins are common (more than half of all births), but the survival of both cubs is not. Holding both cubs for nursing and eating at the same time is often too difficult for the new mother. The loss of habitat due to logging in Sichuan province is perhaps the single most important key to the species' extinction. Therefore, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has given its blessing to this type of experiment, even though it has officially banned attempts at human cloning.