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Scientists use cloning to save a dog breed from extinction

 

Researchers from Chungnam National University have used cloning to revive a dog breed on the edge of extinction.

 

Sapsaree, which are native to Korea, were once popular throughout the peninsula. Traditionally believed to ward off evil spirits, the dogs were favorites of Korean aristocrats and artists and may have even been used as military animals. 

 

However, during Japanese occupation, they were slaughtered in large numbers so that their fur could be used by Japanese soldiers stationed in Manchuria. By the 1910s, there were believed to be only eight Sapsaree remaining, and though the number has grown since then, only several hundred exist today. In 1992, the South Korean government even named the Sapsaree a national treasure. 

 

While Sapsaree are rare in general, short-haired and spotted, or badugi, Sapsaree are especially uncommon. These dogs in particular were the focus of the project at Chungnam National University.

 

The scientists had previously cloned a Sapsaree using the DNA from the first naturally born short-haired spotted dog since the Japanese colonial era. Last December, the cloned dog gave birth to a litter of seven spotted puppies, one of the offspring became pregnant, proving that the clones' children are fertile and capable of propagating the species. Thanks to these scientists, one of the rarest dog breeds in the world is now safe from extinction.