South Korean Customs Service unveiled their latest additions to the force, seven cloned Labrador Retrievers possessing uncanny sniffing capabilities. Collectively named Toppy (“Tomorrow’s Puppy”).The seven male puppies are identical to their father, Chase, who is widely regarded as the services top sniffer dog.
Following on their success in producing the first known cloned dog, Seoul National University veterinarians led by Lee Byeong-Chun embarked on this latest cloning project. Named “Animal Genetic Resource preservation and Clone” and sponsored by the Korean Government Agency to a tune of $300,000. Cloning was achieved by transferring the nucleus of somatic cells from Chase into egg cells of three surrogate mothers.
This is the first time successfully cloning dogs for a specific task. In comparison with normal bred dogs, the clones make better sniffer dog candidates as they possess more superior genes and are more trainable. Their genetic makeup is more suited for the job and they display the identical ideal behavioural and genetic traits as their donor.
The Toppies were born in late 2007. By February 2008, they had passed their first round of behavioural and genetic quality tests, qualifying as sniffer dogs and reaffirming their effectiveness. Only 10-15% of naturally born dogs pass these tests. According to records from Korea custom service, out of 236 dogs trained since 1990, only a mere 75 qualified for sniffer dog capability. A second round of training still awaits them before they report for duty. Until then, Korea’s airports eagerly await these four legged drug enforcers!
The Toppies were born in late 2007. By February 2008, they had passed their first round of behavioural and genetic quality tests, qualifying as sniffer dogs and reaffirming their effectiveness. Only 10-15% of naturally born dogs pass these tests. According to records from Korea custom service, out of 236 dogs trained since 1990, only a mere 75 qualified for sniffer dog capability. A second round of training still awaits them before they report for duty. Until then, Korea’s airports eagerly await these four legged drug enforcers!
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Mark Lee Sheng
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