Background information provided for students
Throughout the activity, students will be directed to the supporting information given below, which provides some background, challenging ideas and options for further research. They are given fact round ups at the start of each section, and invited to scroll down for more information, ideas for research and discussion points.
Introduction
"Well, some people are a bit funny about the idea of cloning animals, but why not, I say? You could clone a winning racehorse - they've already done that, I think. Yeah, cloning animals - be all right that."
What is cloning?
Cloning is used to produce animals that have characteristics desirable to humans. The creation of the first cloned dog in South Korea was justified on the basis that cloned animals could be used to help eradicate genetic defects. Cloning technology is also being used to attempt to create 'copies' of pets, successful sports horses, and endangered (or even extinct) species, and to make animals that could have medical benefits for humans, perhaps by producing pharmaceuticals in their milk.
What types of animals have been cloned?
In 1952, a tadpole was the first animal to be cloned. Since scientists in South Korea cloned the first dog, both dogs and cats have been replicated. The first cloned mouse, produced by American scientists, was called Cumulina. Sheep, cats, horses, cows, goats, fish, fruit flies, rabbits and pigs have also been cloned. Clones have been made of pets and successful sports horses.
What do you think?
What do you think about the ethics of cloning animals? How far could it go - would the cloning of human animals be the next step? Find out what the legislation is about cloning in this country.
Now it's time to say what you think - remember you're voting on whether or not you agree with the case made by this first character: "If you can clone a winning racehorse, I think cloning animals is all right."
Round 1
"Hm...well maybe scientists could use cloned animals to do experiments for drugs and stuff, to help people. Like, proper controlled tests. So yeah, maybe, but I don't really like the idea. It's a bit weird..."
"I love tigers - they're so beautiful. But they're really endangered, so cloning them might mean they wouldn't die out. Maybe we could clone everything that's in danger of becoming extinct. That'd be cool."
Why are animals cloned?
Animals are cloned for a number of reasons, including:
- if animals cannot reproduce naturally, but their genes are of scientific or commercial interest - this may be because:
- the animal has low fertility or is infertile
- the animal is in danger of becoming extinct and there are no breeding pairs in existence
- the animal has been neutered before it was known to be carrying genes of interest
- if an animal carries a unique or specific combination of genes that humans want to be preserved exactly as they are (natural breeding of any two animals will produce offspring that contain a combination of genes from both parents so, if an exact copy is required, cloning is the only answer)
- to enable cloning techniques to be developed further, for example, to improve success rates or enable the cloning of a different species.
Are they used in research and testing?
The number of transgenic (including cloned) animals created and used for scientific research and testing is increasing dramatically year-on-year. This is because the technology is continually developing, enabling its use for a wider range of applications in an increasing number of species. This is having the knock-on effect of increasing the total number of animals used in scientific research and testing each year. Using transgenic animals in research and testing may encourage the view of them as tools for human use, rather than as individual animals with feelings and the ability to suffer.
What about extinct or endangered animals?
Cloning technology is being used to attempt to create 'copies' of endangered (or even extinct) species. Russian and Japanese scientists have tried to clone the extinct woolly mammoth, but as yet attempts have proved unsuccessful.
What do you think?
Is cloning the answer to preventing extinction of endangered species? What sorts of things should be considered - from an animal welfare and from an ethical point of view - by scientists who try to clone extinct animals? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of using cloning for this purpose?
Now it’s time to say what you think - remember you’re voting on whether or not you agree with the case made by the first character: ”If you can clone a winning racehorse, I think cloning animals is all right.”
Round 2
"If I could have my lovely cats copied, I would, like a shot. Then I'd never have to say goodbye..."
"Animal cloning? Well...yeah, it might have some good uses, I suppose. But it'd be no good for pets. I mean, you might get the same animal physically, but it's not going to be the same personality-wise is it? You can't copy an animal's character just by copying the genes or whatever it is they do, surely..."
How cloning works
Cloning is a specific scientific technique in which the DNA from one organism is used to produce other, genetically identical organisms. This is scientifically easier to do with some organisms than others, but the reasons for this are unclear. A clone contains the same sequence of DNA within its cells as the organism from which it was cloned. However, it will not necessarily look or behave the same because the environment in which the clone develops can affect how the information in the DNA is translated into characteristics, such as size and temperament.
What do you think?
A company in the USA once advertised a service to clone pet cats, but it closed down, due to lack of demand. What would be the case for, and the case against having a favourite animal cloned? Why do you think there was so little demand for cloned pets?
Find out more
What percentage of cloned embryos survives to birth? What are the animals' long-term chances of survival? Check out this
link.
Now it’s time to say what you think - remember you’re voting on whether or not you agree with the case made by the first character: “If you can clone a winning racehorse, I think cloning animals is all right.”
Round 3
"No, I don't think cloning's acceptable in any circumstances. I mean, it's not just like you flick a switch and you've got a new version of the animal. It's really nasty...like, painful for animals, and it goes really badly wrong sometimes. Animals must suffer - maybe they even die, I don't know - when you experiment with cloning and stuff. So I'd say no to it, full stop."
"I want to say I'm against it, but cloning animals might mean we can make farming much easier and make food cheaper for everyone. I guess you could say that since we eat animals anyway, it doesn't matter if we clone them."
Do cloned animals suffer?
The cloning of animals involves subjecting them to painful and distressing procedures, and is of serious ethical and welfare concern for the RSPCA for several reasons:
- the cloning process involves experimental procedures that can cause pain and suffering to animals, such as the surgical transplantation of cloned embryos into females who act as surrogate mothers
- many cloned animals are born with abnormalities, such as respiratory problems, tumours and liver defects, and they often have a reduced lifespan
- while being cloned, animals experience life in a laboratory, in the same conditions as any research animal, which are far from ideal in terms of space and providing animals with the ability to express normal behaviours
- creation of 'copies' of pets, successful sports horses, and endangered (or even extinct) species is completely unacceptable - there can be no justification for cloning animals to improve performance, or for 'recreating' a pet, when there are thousands of unwanted cats and dogs who could be given a loving home instead.
Find out more
What potential harms and benefits does the UK government identify in developing the technology for cloning farm animals? What general principles does it recommend should be adhered to? Try this
link.
Follow this
link to see what Eurogroup for Animals thinks.
Something to think about
Would cloning technologies make farming cheaper and easier? What would the animal welfare implications be? What about the implications for society as a whole?
Now it’s time to reach a verdict - remember you’re voting on whether or not you agree with the case made by the first character: “If you can clone a winning racehorse, I think cloning animals is all right.”
