Endangered turtles might be cloned
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Malaysia is studying a plan to clone leatherback turtles, an endangered species that scientists believe once swam with dinosaurs, an official said Thursday.
The Fisheries Department hopes to embark on a leatherback cloning project that could cost $9 million over the next five years, said Director-General Junaidi Che Ayub. The clones could produce hatchlings to boost the population, he said.
Some biologists say the plan is impractical and unlikely to succeed.
No reptile is known to have been cloned.
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