Vietnam successfully clones pot-bellied pigs

Vietnam has cloned the endangered Vietnamese pot-bellied pig using an innovative somatic cell cloning method.

According to an article published in VN Express International, the Vietnam Institute of Animal Science and the Ministry of Agriculture cloned four baby Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs using somatic cells derived from ear tissue.

Pham Cong Thieu, HEAD of the Animal Science Institute, said the "birth" of baby pigs was a technological leap for Vietnam in animal cloning.

"This achievement has opened new avenues for research into the application of animal cloning technologies to select and conserve animal breeds that are very rare or of great economic importance," he said.

The Vietnamese potbellied pig is a traditional domestic breed bred in northern Vietnam. The FAO classifies pot-bellied pigs as an endangered breed.