Dolly, The Cloned Sheep, Gives Birth Again
01:17 a.m. Apr 02, 1999 Eastern

EDINBURGH, Scotland (Reuters) - Dolly, the world's first cloned mammal, has given birth to three healthy lambs, her creators said Thursday.

The Roslin Institute in Scotland said both the lambs, two males and one female born early on March 24, and their famous mother were doing well.

It was the sheep's second pregnancy. Bonnie, her first lamb, was born on April 13 last year.

``We are delighted,'' Dr Harry Griffin, the assistant director of the institute, said in a statement.

``The birth of Bonnie almost exactly 12 months ago confirmed that despite Dolly's unusual origins she is able to breed normally and produce healthy offspring. The birth of these three lambs is further demonstration of this,'' he added.

David, a Welsh Mountain ram, who sired Bonnie is also the father of the new lambs. No further details about them were immediately available.

Dolly, who was cloned from an adult cell in July 1996, made world headlines when her birth was announced two years ago and sparked fears that human cloning would not be far off.

The institute said she and her offspring are part of a research program to produce treatments for diseases including cystic fibrosis, a chronic lung disease.

Copyright 1999 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication and redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

Volver a Medios de Comunicación