Chinese scientists have succeeded in cloning a
giant
panda's reproductive hormone gene, with the aim of improving
the animal's ability to breed in artificial conditions.
The achievement was announced at a recent meeting on panda breeding
technology, held in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan
Province.
The research was conducted jointly by scientists from the Chengdu
Giant Panda Breeding Center and a key cell and gene-engineering
laboratory at Zhejiang University in eastern Zhejiang Province.
Most female pandas living in an artificial environment have
dysfunctional reproductive organs and fail to produce eggs
normally, leading to an inability to breed, giant panda expert
Zhang Anju said.
About 30 percent of female pandas in artificial environments are
able to become pregnant and produce offspring, while only 10
percent of male pandas enjoy a natural mating life.
The cloning of the hormone gene can be used to modulate egg
production thus improving breeding ability, Zhang said. Giant
pandas usually encounter difficulties in mating and pregnancy, and
suffer a high infant mortality in captivity.
(China Daily December 9, 2002)