Indian scientists said on Saturday they had cloned the world’s second buffalo just three months after the first one died of pneumonia within a week of birth.

The calf, named Garima, was born at 11 a.m. at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, and weighed 43 kg, Institute Director A.K. Srivastava told PTI.
Precautionary measure

“Garima is healthy, and we are optimistic about her survival. Two veterinarians have arrived from the Haryana Agricultural University. Our own veterinary doctors, led by K.P.S. Tomar, are also looking after her, and we are taking precautions to avoid any mishap,” Mr. Srivastava said.

Scientists adopted a technique more advanced than the one used in producing Dolly, the sheep that became the first mammal to be cloned. The ‘hand-guided cloning technique,’ perfected by NDRI scientists, would allow production of calves of a desired sex.

However, the scientists have used the foetal tissue to clone the calf this time instead of the ear tissue of a female buffalo, as they did last time.

The first cloned buffalo was born on February 6.

India, Mr. Srivastava said, had the largest population of the best buffaloes in the world. However, the percentage of elite animals was very low, and there was a need to enhance their population. The cloning technique would help address this problem. — PTI