Cloned Przewalski's horse gives hope to the species

[Catherine]

When Przewalski's horses became extinct in the wild, the species was saved by the zoos that had the horses. They have increased their numbers and spread them to other zoos. There are even herds back in the wild. The only problem is the very small gene pool. There were just twelve horses left. The world's 2000 Przewalski's horse are all descended from the twelve.
The San Diego Zoo has something called the Frozen Zoo Project. They have frozen samples from many species. In particular they have samples from Przewalski's horses. They have successfully cloned a Przewalski's Horse. The actually cloning took place at a facility in Texas. They now have a two year old stallion named Kurt.
He is genetically very different from the existing horses. His offspring could add the diversity the species needs to be strong.
He is living with other Przewalski's Horses and it is hoped that when he matures in a couple of years that he will breed.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/09/2...extinction

This is an amazing thing. When they took the samples and froze them, the technology to clone was not advanced enough to work. They acted on the hope that it would one day be possible. This is a time when cloning actually has a good purpose. Species that barely survived can be saved from the genetic problem of too small a gene pool. It will give this species a chance to thrive. A lot of work has been done to save the Przewalski's Horses. Now we have a chance to take them beyond just surviving, to thriving.

If it works for the Przewalski's Horses, there are many more species that can be helped. The Frozen Zoo Project is an act of hope and a belief in the future.