Korean firm bid to ‘recreate dead pets’

SEOUL: The world's first pet cloning service is to offer animal lovers the chance to recreate their dead companions, it was announced on Friday. South Korean company RNL Bio will work alongside scientists who created the first cloned canine.

A company official said it was already working on its first order from an American who wanted a clone of her dead pit bull. The client, Bernann McKunney, of California, was very attached to the pet because it had saved her life during an attack by another dog.

Kim Yoon said that ear tissue from the dog had been preserved at a US biotech laboratory before its death. DNA from the sample could now be used in an attempt to create a clone, she said, although the chances of success were 25%. RNL Bio is charging customers $1,50,000 for the clones, which clients pay after they receive their new pet.

The cloning is to be carried out by Seoul National University scientist Lee Byeong-chun,. Lee had worked with the disgraced stem cell scientist Hwang Woo-suk, whose purported breakthroughs in the creation of human stem cells had been faked.

Lee was suspended from his university for three months over the stem cell scandal.