Scientists hope to resurrect Indian Cheetah

NEW DELHI: The Indian Cheetah, which has gone extinct, may be resurrected if cell lines from their cousins in Iran could be procured, scientists say.

A group of Indian scientists at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, is working on the ambitious project of gathering and storing genetic material of the wildlife species in a DNA bank which later may be used to resurrect the extinct species like Indian Cheetah and increasing the population of endangered species.

The Asiatic Cheetah, a variant of Indian Cheetah, is found in some pockets outside India, including in Iran.

"If a cell line made from the Cheetah was available, it would have been possible to resurrect the species. It seems there are at present a few Cheetahs in Iran. If tissue or cell samples could be procured from Iran it should be possible to clone the Cheetah using Leopard as a surrogate mother," S Shivaji, a scientist at CCMB, told.

The Centre has a "Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Animals" where the DNA bank is currently being set up. The bank will not only help in resurrecting the extinct species, under some conditions, but also help in raising population of endangered species.

"Genetic banking is a valuable resource for conservation because of the possibility of using it to resurrect a species, if required," says Shivaji.

"Sperm, egg and cell banks will help in producing specific animals if and when necessity arises. This would be the ultimate approach to conserve endangered animal species and prevent their extinction from this planet," he added.