Endangered Cloned Ferret Has Babies in a World First

In a “groundbreaking achievement,” a clone of an endangered species of ferret has given birth to babies for the very first time.
The mother, named Antonia, is a clone of another black-footed ferret, named Willa, whose genetic material and tissue samples were collected in 1988 and stored ever since at the San Diego Zoo’s Frozen Zoo.
Willa was genetically diverse, compared with the current population, so it is hoped that introducing her genetic material through cloning will help increase the chances of this recovering species’ survival.
“The successful breeding and subsequent birth of Antonia’s kits marks a major milestone in endangered species conservation,” said Paul Marinari, senior curator at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal, Virginia, in a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) statement.
Black-footed ferrets, also known as American polecats or prairie dog hunters, are among some of the most endangered mammals in the country. Their decline was largely due to a combination of habitat loss, diseases including the sylvatic plague and a reduction in their primary food source: prairie dogs.
These ferrets were once considered extinct in the wild until a small population was rediscovered in Wyoming in the early 1980s. Since then, conservationists have made significant strides in restoring the species, using a combination of traditional breeding programs and cloning.
All black-footed ferrets alive today, other than the clones of Willa and their newborn kits, are descendants of the last seven wild individuals. This means that the remaining population is severely limited in genetic diversity, which is a critical problem because inbreeding can make the species vulnerable to disease and reduce its adaptability to changing environments.
“The introduction of novel, currently unrepresented genetic material may provide a significant boost to the genetics of the current black-footed ferret population,” the FWS said in a Q&A earlier this year.
In 2020, conservationists achieved a major milestone with the birth of a black-footed ferret named Elizabeth Ann, who was the first clone of Willa. Because Willa never had offspring during her lifetime, her clones represent a valuable source of genetic diversity for the remaining population. Sadly, due to a condition with her uterus, Elizabeth Ann is unable to reproduce.
Thankfully, earlier this year conservationists cloned Willa twice more, producing two new clones named Noreen and Antonia. Now, after mating with a male named Urchin, Antonia has successfully given birth to three kits. While one died just after birth, one male and one female kit are in good health.
“This marks the first time a cloned U.S. endangered species has produced offspring, showcasing a critical step forward in using cloning to enhance genetic diversity in conservation efforts,” the FWS said in the statement.
The FWS continued: “The successful reproduction of a cloned endangered species is a landmark in conservation genetic research, proving that cloning technology can not only help restore genetic diversity but also allow for future breeding, opening new possibilities for species recovery. This represents a significant step in safeguarding the future of black-footed ferrets and overcoming the genetic challenges that have hindered recovery efforts.”
These kits, along with their mother, will remain at the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute and will not be released back into the wild, unlike other non-clone offspring involved in the breeding program.
Every year, between 150 and 220 ferrets are released into specially chosen black-footed ferret reintroduction sites across Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Kansas and New Mexico, as well as Canada and Mexico.
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