NATION | Thursday, October 15, 2009 | Email | Print |  | Back
After buffalo, NDRI set to clone pashmina goats
Santanu Banerjee | New Delhi
Encouraged by the second successful experiment of the cloned buffalo Garima on June 6, the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) is set to go ahead with another experiment of cloning Changthangi or pashmina goat in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh in next two months.
The move to clone pashmina goat lost momentum following the death of first cloned buffalo calf five days after its birth in February this year. “But the project got a boost recently after the second calf Garima walked into her fifth month,’’ a top official said.
NDRI director AK Srivastava told The Pioneer on Monday that in next two months work would begin in this direction. He also said that the NDRI would provide all technical inputs to the J&K Government for the experiment.
Five months ago, when Garima was born, AK Srivastava hinted that cloning experiment would begin with pashmina goats, which inhabit the 3,000 high altitudes in Himalayan region.
According to Srivastava, the move to clone the pashmina goat was initiated keeping in mind their progressively dwindling population in India, which raised question on the survival of one of the oldest and finest export — home spun shawls and other woolen clothes. Incidentally, the pashmina wool in India dates back to third century BC.
NDRI sources also said that in February 2008, due to heavy snowfall, a good number of female goats and calves died. “This need to be seen with the future perspective if we want to keep the breed both going and keep the global demand for its wool in mind,’’ official said.
However, before the experiment began, the NDRI scientists would have to find out a safe way to facilitate the birth of the cloned pashmina goat calves. After an experiment or two, the birth has be facilitated in a normal way and not as has been done in case of Garima.
Interestingly, after the death of first cloned calf in February, the NDRI scientists took no chance and had the second calf out by a caesarian operation on its surrogate mother. Sources said that while it was possible to carry out caesarian operation on Garima’s surrogate mother, it would not be possible if cloning has to touch the targeted production level with the pashmina goats.
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