Camels from a test tube

Demand for cloned camels for beauty has grown in the UAE

Anna Lysenko, News Mail.ru

Specialists of the Center for Reproductive Biotechnology in Dubai are busy around the clock cloning camels for beauty contests, participating in horse races and increasing milk yields.

The demand for cloned animals has increased dramatically in recent years. For cloning a "beautiful" camel, rich clients are willing to pay from 200 to 400 thousand dirhams (from 4 to 8 million rubles), AFP reports. The price of a camel is determined depending on its appearance, health and fame of the breed. Such animals take part in very popular Beauty Queen contests.

Camel racing is even more popular in the UAE and other countries of the Persian Gulf. With the help of cloning, you can improve the endurance of animals.

Cloning for the dairy industry is just beginning to develop. "We have cloned several camels that produce more than 35 liters of milk a day," Nisar Vani, the scientific director of the center, told AFP. Ordinary camels give an average of 5 liters of milk per day.

Sometimes cloning is ordered by customers who cannot accept the death of a beloved animal.

Pregnancy in camels lasts 13 months. Females give birth to a baby every two years. The Center uses surrogacy technology for cloning: by crossing the genetic material of elite parents, they create embryos, which are then carried by ordinary female camels.

"Now we produce a lot, maybe more than 10-20 cubs a year. This year we have 28 pregnancies so far, last year there were 20," Vanya said.

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