Cloning Used to Save Australia's Rarest Mammal
6/7/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Cloning Used to Save Australia's Rarest Mammal
Source: Environment News Service
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: June 7, 1999
CLAYTON, Victoria, Australia, June 7, 1999 (ENS) - In the
laboratory of Dr. Monique Wolvekamp, the use of cloning to
save endangered species is not just a theory - it is being
used to rescue the Northern Hairy-nosed wombat of
Australia from extinction. This wombat, Australia's rarest
mammal species, is extremely endangered with only 80
animals left in the wild and none in captivity.
Dr. Wolvekamp works at the Institute of Reproduction and
Development, a medical research institution that is part
of the Faculty of Medicine at Monash University. The
Institute promotes the application of its research to
benefit the preservation of the world's endangered species
as well as the reproductive health of women and men, the
growth and development of babies and children, and the
development of Australia's agricultural industry.
Northern Hairy-nosed wombats like this one are [wombat]
critically endangered. (Photos courtesy
International Wildlife Coalition)
She sees cloning as, "a novel assisted reproductive
technology to save an endangered species from extinction."
Dr. Wolvekamp has just started working on a novel research
project in which she and her team hope to use the cloning
approach "nuclear transfer" to save the endangered wombat.
"The animals are currently extensively monitored/captured
for a long term monitoring study, and the earbiopsy -
taken while eartagging the animals for other purposes - is
processed till cryopreserved fibroblasts are obtained in
our laboratory," Dr. Wolvekamp explains.
"We subsequently hope to use nuclear transfer to create
Northern Hairy nosed wombat embryos using egg cells from
the more Common Wombats," she says. Those egg cells are
obtained during roadkills.
There are pros and cons to cloning as a means of
preserving a species, Dr. Wolvekamp says. "The clear pro
of cloning is that you would be able to recreate a species
from a preserved cell line (such as fibroblast cell line
or another somatic cell) and you don't need cryopreserved
sperm of this species."
"With recent developments, a universal recipient would
even make the necessity of an egg cell of the specific
species no longer essential."
The recent developments she refers to were accomplished at
the University of Hawaii during the past year. There
researchers Teruhiko Wakayama and Ryuzo Yanagimachi
demonstrated that mammals can be cloned from
non-reproductive cells by cloning a male mammal, a mouse,
for the first time. Previous mammalian clones, including
the famous sheep named Dolly, were produced using cells
from the female reproductive system.
The Hawaiian researchers used the Honolulu Technique of
replacing the genetic information in an egg cell with the
nucleus of a donor cell from another individual.
As to the cons of cloning, in the view of Dr. Wolvekamp
they are technical rather than ethical. She says, "You
will have to clone several animals in able to increase the
genetic variety enough. So you shouldn't use a series of
cloned animals in a breeding program because you would
like to maintain/increase the genetic variety of a
species. However, one cloned animal can be used for one
population and "the same" cloned animal for a second
population.
[burrow] Wombat burrow
The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii), a
marsupial that carries its young in a pouch, has only ever
been found in three places - near Deniliquin in New South
Wales, on the Moonie River near St. George in southern
Queensland and at Epping Forest near Clermont in central
Queensland, according to the Australian Nature
Conservation Agency.
This wombat is listed as critically endangered by the
World Conservation Monitoring Centre (IUCN).
The last known colony of between 60 and 70 animals is
restricted to 300 hectares in Epping Forest National Park
in central Queensland. The national park was established
in 1971 to protect the habitat of the only known colony of
Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats. Before cattle were removed
from Epping Forest in 1982, wombat numbers had dropped to
about 35 animals. The habitat in Epping Forest reserved
for these wombats is now fenced to keep out cattle and
sheep.
They live in burrows called warrens that are long tunnels
with many entrances and exits. The number of Northern
Hairy-nosed Wombats fell in the past because their habitat
was damaged, severe droughts occurred and they had to
compete with cattle, sheep and rabbits for food.
These wombats can grow to about 13 inches tall, three feet
in length and weigh from 42 to 68 pounds. The name,
Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat, comes from its distinctive
muzzle which is covered with short brown hairs.
c Environment News Service (ENS) 1999. All Rights
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