Scientist: 1st cloned camel born in Dubai

[April 15, 2009]  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- A scientist says the world's first cloned camel has been produced in the desert emirate of Dubai. Nisar Ahmad Wani, a senior reproductive biologist at the government's Camel Reproduction Center, says the cloned camel is a six-day-old, one-humped female called Achievement or Injaz in Arabic.

Injaz was born April 8 after an uncomplicated gestation of 378 days, the center said in a press release Tuesday.

The center said she was created from cells harvested from an ovary of an adult female camel.

Camels are a valuable commodity in the desert sheikdoms of the Persian Gulf. They are used for racing and transport. They are famous for healthy low-fat milk and can fetch owners millions of dollars at camel beauty contests.

[Associated Press]

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