SCIENTISTS SPLIT ON CLONING PANDAS

September 28, 1997

BEIJING (CNN) -- Some scientists have suggested using cloning techniques, such as those used in Scotland to produce Dolly the sheep, to save pandas from extinction.

Only about a thousand giant pandas remain in the wild, occupying six small forest fragments in southwestern China. About 90 pandas live in captivity in zoos throughout the world. The much-revered species is expected to become extinct by about 2040, barring a drastic change of events.

But others object, saying cloning would produce a species of pandas that lacks diversity.

"If I had to pick one species that I think is least likely to benefit from cloning technology, I would say it's the giant panda," geneticist Oliver Ryder said. "What we need to do is preserve the diversity and differences that exist within the population."

Added Zhang Anju, a scientist at the Chengdu center: "The technique of cloning has very important implications for medicine and business, but I think it is not advisable for trying to save a species."

Artificial insemination is a much better route, scientists contend, because it would produce pandas with distinct characteristics while extending the life expectancy of the species.

It could also help boost the pregnancy rate among pandas, who prefer naps over sexual trysts. Male pandas are notorious for their lack of sexual drive; female pandas only produce eggs about once a year and are fertile for just over a day.

A high infant mortality rate has hindered reproduction of the furry black and white animal. While protected by the Environmental Protection Act and treaties,their numbers have been thinned by poachers.