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Debatable Morality-Cloning The Tasmanian Tiger

© Robin Greenhalgh

As expected by myself, cloning has extended past it's purpose of harvesting organs for human transplant. While we're participating in on-going debates over the morality in cloning purposes, other masterminds are coming up with new uses for this process. Issues as such are surrounded by vast indifference, ignorance and/or moral passions. I for one happen to believe that the opinions of people without a bunch of distinguishing letters behind their name deserve the same oppportunity to express their opinions on topics with such grave importance.

We already know about the successful cloning of "Dolly" a sheep in Scotland, and most of us are aware of the success in cloning pigs. Are you aware that there is work underway to attempt to clone the now extinct Tasmanian Tiger(AKA Thylacine)? The emergence of this idea comes from a staff of scientists in Australia, for in their possession is an alcohol preserved Tasmanian Tiger pup which is 134 years old.

Apparently the preservation of this specimen's DNA is owed to the alcohol usage, as preservation in formalin would have meant it's destruction. Their overall plan is to clone the specimen and if sucessful, to consider re-introduction of the species to our environment. The cost for such a task could run into tens of millions of dollars, which they are justifying with the hope of future science.

The last recorded specimen expired in 1936 in a Tasmanian Zoo, although they were at one time fairly widespread throughout Australia and New Guinea. Their extinction cause is not known exactly, but is guessed to be from dominant dingos and overhunting practices.

So far they have reported their chances to be slim and arguments are being made regarding better use of the money involved. This amount of money could go a long way in helping to establish our weakening environment, and then there are the morals behind playing God.

Is it really to our benifit or to our detriment to clone an extinct species? Who will take the responsibilities for; the experimental screw-ups(ie.half-formed/developed embryos, births), and if successful, for it's possible negative effects on existing species? It does seem to me that this is only one step up from animal experimentation, except that I suppose we as the general public will never know exactly what goes on behind closed doors.

They've already begun on their ambition by operating on the juvenile specimen to extract DNA from it's heart and liver. Thus here is what angers me the most. If the only quality of life after a sucessful birth ends up being a controlled environment(ie.zoo), then what have we really done? We have temporarily satisfied our insatiable "God complex", and made the resulting species a virtual prisoner. I would love an explaination on how this benefits mankind, or more importantly the species itself. I just wish there was comfort to be had in the fact they were doing something really beneficial, but I somehow think that the threatened and endagered species of the present would disagree.