WASHINGTON — The recent dog cloning announcement demonstrates yet another wasteful cloning endeavor with serious animal welfare implications.
"Now cloned dogs are producing offspring, adding yet another layer of needless experiments that offer no societal benefit whatsoever," said Kathleen Conlee, director of Animal Research Issues for The Humane Society of the United States. "This reckless breeding continues while millions of homeless animals wait for good homes in animal shelters across the country."
Reports of past cloning attempts have revealed a 99 percent failure rate involving invasive surgeries to hundreds of dogs and cats, miscarriages, and deaths of newborn puppies and kittens. An unknown number of failed attempts surround this latest announcement. We do know that one of the ten puppies in the "successful" litter died shortly after birth, with the future health of the other nine puppies unknown.
In a report released in May of this year, Buyers Beware: Pet Cloning Is Not for Pet Lovers, The HSUS and the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) highlight the animal suffering, questionable claims, shoddy science and dubious background of certain players in the pet cloning scheme.
Approximately 6 to 8 million dogs and cats enter animal shelters every year and millions are euthanized. These cloning endeavors are inhumane, reinforce the perception of animals as disposable commodities, and must come to an end. The public agrees, with more than 80 percent opposed to pet cloning.
*The poll results on pet cloning come from a 2004 national survey conducted by Opinion Research Council and commissioned by AAVS. Interviews were conducted by phone among a representative sample of 1,008 adults in private households in the continental U.S. The margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level is plus or minus three percentage points.
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The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization — backed by 10.5 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty — On the web at humanesociety.org.
