In Hangzhou, China, a woman made an extraordinary decision to clone her cherished pet dog, spending 160,000 yuan (RM98,000) to do so.
Known only as Xu, she had shared over a decade with her loyal Doberman, Joker, who had been her steadfast companion through life's highs and lows. When Joker passed away in November 2022 due to a heart attack, Xu was left heartbroken.
The grief took a toll on her health, leading to sleepless nights and emotional distress. With a background in the medical field, Xu had been following the advancements in pet cloning for years. When the opportunity arose to bring back Joker's genetic twin, she decided to take the leap.
Cloning pets is legal in China, though the practice remains controversial due to ethical concerns. The process involves extracting a skin sample from the deceased pet, merging it with an egg cell from another animal to create an embryo, and then implanting it into a surrogate mother. The result is a near-identical genetic copy of the original pet, albeit with a different life experience.
A year after Joker's passing, Xu welcomed Little Joker into her home. The resemblance was uncanny not only in appearance but also in mannerisms. Little Joker shared the same distinctive black spot near its nose, the same mischievous habit of stealing socks, and even displayed an attachment to Joker's old leash.
Despite these similarities, Xu remained mindful that Little Joker was not a replacement but rather a new life to cherish.
"Caring for this new life helped me temporarily forget the pain of losing Joker," she shared.
Her decision to clone Joker sparked mixed reactions online. While some admired her devotion and viewed it as a touching way to honor her pet's memory, others raised ethical concerns, questioning whether cloning was a justifiable method for coping with loss.
As science continues to push boundaries, pet cloning remains a contentious topic, leaving society to grapple with the implications of bringing back a beloved companion at least in genetic form.
Source: South China Morning Post
