Spain Legalizes Pet Cloning with a Hefty Price Tag
Pet owners in Spain now have the option to clone their beloved animals, but it comes with a steep price of at least 55,000 euros. The Ovoclone laboratory in Marbella is the first to offer this service, following the recent legalization of the practice.
CEO of Ovoclone Laboratory Speaks on Ethical Concerns
Enrique Criado, the CEO and embryologist of the company, acknowledges the ethical and moral barriers surrounding pet cloning. However, he believes that as prices drop and popularity grows, the practice will become normalized in society. He draws parallels to the initial controversy surrounding in vitro fertilization, which is now a common practice.
Cloning Services Available for All Mammals
The Ovoclone laboratory is equipped to clone any mammal, from dogs and cats to horses and camels. The most frequent customers are owners of competition horses, with requests coming in from as far as the Arab Emirates. The laboratory also aims to use their scientific advancements to aid public administration and help endangered species.
Profile of Pet Cloning Customers
Most people who opt for pet cloning have a strong emotional bond with their pets, often treating them as their own children. They understand that the clone, while sharing 99.9% of the original pet’s genetics, is a separate animal with no shared memories.
Challenges and Limitations of Pet Cloning
In the eight months since the practice has been operational in Marbella, the laboratory has encountered various challenges. These include the need for the pet to be alive or only a few hours post-mortem for the cloning process to work, and the inability to use frozen biological material.
Notable Figures Who Have Cloned Their Pets
Celebrities such as Barbara Streisand, Javier Milei, and Diane von Fürstenberg have utilized pet cloning for their own animals. The Argentinian president even has four clones of his mastiff dog Conan, a decision that has sparked controversy in the country.
The Evolution of Cloning
The first animal to be cloned was Dolly the sheep in 1997. Since then, the procedures have been refined and the practice has become legal in many countries, marking a significant advancement in the field of cloning.
