China’s first cloned police dog is now ready for duty. According to China Daily, 8-month-old Kunxun, a Kunming wolfdog, passed the police’s dog assessment trial on August 22.
Born in December of last year, Kunxun was cloned from a 7-year-old police dog, Huahuangma, stationed at the Pu’er police detachment in Yunnan province.
Described by China Daily as an “outstanding canine detective,” Huahuangma is a Kunming wolfdog celebrated for its outstanding “field work abilities” – presumably the reason it was chosen for the cloning procedure.
Genetic analysis has concluded that 99.9% of Kunxun’s DNA is identical to Huahuangma’s.
Image via Xinhua h/t China Daily
Prior to taking the police dog assessment test, Kunxun received professional training at the Kunming Police Dog Base starting in early March.
Wolfdogs are found in both the Old World and New World and are the byproduct of interbreeding between a wild wolf and domesticated dog. The Kunming wolfdog was selectively bred in China in the 1950s for military and police use. The breed looks very similar to German shepherds.
Since being created, Kunming wolfdogs have carried out a number of important roles, from locating and detecting landmines on a UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon to inspecting venues for explosives during the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou.
READ MORE: Chinese Scientists Successfully Clone Monkeys in Shanghai
[Cover image via Xinhua h/t China Daily]
0 User Comments