KARNAL, January 3: World’s first cloned buffalo ‘Garima’ delivered its second calf at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal, last week. A team of scientists used the ‘hand-guided cloning technique’ to deliver a female calf on December 27th, 2014, the institute stated on Friday.
The calf named ‘Karishma’ is the eighth calf cloned by the institute. NDRI director A K Srivastava said Garima delivered its second female calf named through normal parturition. “The weight of the calf at the time of birth was 35 kg and the newborn is keeping good health,” he said.
The NDRI scientists who were involved in the project include S K Singla, M S Chauhan, R S Manik, P Palta, Shiv Parsad, S S Lathwal, Anuj Raja, Amol Sahare and Basanti Jyotsana. The team was felicitated by the NDRI director on its achievement. NDRI had produced the world’s first cloned buffalo female calf in 2010. Garima was born on August 22, 2010, using embryonic stem cells through ‘hand guided cloning technique’.
NDRI scientists said Garima was inseminated with frozen thawed semen of a progeny tested bull of NDRI on February 27, 2014, which resulted in conception. “The buffalo was maintained under standard scientific management system during its gestation,” said director Srivastava.
Earlier, a female calf ‘Mahima’ was born to ‘Garima’ at NDRI on January 25, 2013, which was the first calf born to a cloned buffalo produced through ‘hand guided cloning technique’.
