The US scientists achieved a great victory by being successful to clone
the first US endangered species, the black-footed ferret named Elizabeth Ann.
The gene duplication was done using an animal that died 30 years ago. The
original name of the donner was Willa. The Fish Department and the Wyoming Game
sent the tissues of Willa with the passage of it. Those tissues were sent to
the “frozen zoo” run by San Diego Zoo Global that is responsible for the
maintenance of cells from more than 1,100 species and subspecies worldwide.
Welcome, Elizabeth Ann! This cloned Black-footed Ferret is now the most genetically valuable of her species. Read the press release about this major milestone for conservation https://t.co/ApFcwbH6ml due to our partnership with @frozenzoo @usfwsnews @ViaGenPets_ pic.twitter.com/gIze2XkwNR
— Revive & Restore (@Revive_Restore) February 18, 2021
However, this ferret Willa isn't one among the original seven ancestors
in the world. It was believed that the ferrets had gone extinct forever even
before those ferrets were rediscovered in 1981 on a ranch in the state of
Wyoming.

Elizabeth Ann is the first-ever cloned member among the US endangered
species. She's around 60 days by now.
At the first stages of DNA technology, Willa’s body was frozen. However,
the importance of the technique has been realized and several endangered
species including a Mongolian wild horse are expected to give rebirth via
cloning.
“Biotechnology and genomic data can make a difference on the ground with
conservation efforts,” says Ben Novak who's a leading scientist with Revive
& Restore, a biotechnology-focused conservation nonprofit that coordinates
ferret and horse cloning.
Cutting-edge science and a blast from the past! Meet Elizabeth Ann. She’s the first-ever cloned black-footed ferret, created from the frozen cells of a ferret that died more than 30 years ago: https://t.co/PJNo7NaFhV
— US Fish and Wildlife (@USFWSMtnPrairie) February 18, 2021
Check the thread for more about Elizabeth Anne! pic.twitter.com/0i85mv9FgH
According to the scientists, this Willa’s genes had been fertilized into
an embryo first. The fertilized genes have been carried by a regular domestic
ferret afterwhile. The fellow black-footed ferret wasn't given the chance to
carry the embryo due to the risk associated with pregnancy. All in all the
scientists are more confident about bringing back other specimens into practice
with the success of this procedure. They have intentions of helping the ones
who need genetic modification or genetic patching for a successful cloning
process.

Image credits: USFWSMtnPrairie
However, the newly cloned Elizabeth Ann will not be released in the wild. Elizabeth will be treated under the care of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Black-Footed Ferret Conservation Center in Colorado.
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