Animal 5: Cloned Pets
In 2005, scientists in South Korea announced they had produced the first dog clone -- an Afghan hound named Snuppy. Several years earlier, in late 2001, the world's first cloned kitten, CC (short for Copycat), entered the world. Since then, at least 40 dogs and an unknown number of cats have been replicated [source: Keim].
In July 2008, BioArts International auctioned off four dog cloning spots to the highest bidders. The program, aptly titled "Best Friends Again," also offered up one, all-expenses-paid spot for a lucky winner in its Golden Clone Giveaway contest. That spot has since been won by a heroic Sept. 11 rescue dog, dubbed the world's most "clone-worthy" dog [source: BioArts International].
Hundreds of people pay upward of $1,000 a year to preserve tissue from their cat or dog for future cloning [source: Shiels]. Despite the high demand for commercially cloned pets, BioArts states on its Web site that its Best Friends Again program is a limited service that may or may not be continued.
Surely someone will step up to the plate, which is why pets merit a spot on this list. With thousands of potential customers having expressed interest in duplicating their beloved pets, it's only a matter of time before the technology advances enough to support a commercial venture.
Indeed, the Seoul-based company RNL Bio recently opened its doors for business and after the birth of five cloned puppies in August 2008, announced itself as the "first successful commercial canine cloning service." The team has already cloned more than 20 dogs and has plans to clone about 300 per year [source: CNN]. So if you have $150,000 to spare and a beloved pug to duplicate, you may want to take a trip to South Korea.
