|
Since her creation, Dolly, cloned from a mammary cell of a six-year-old sheep, has been big news. We hoped she was still making headlines as we set out to learn her fate. After several searches and some serious digging, we learned that Dolly did indeed give birth -- on April 13, 1998, she had a healthy lamb named Bonnie. And a year later, she gave birth to triplets. All were conceived "the old fashioned way." Checking on her current status, we turned up an article from CNN.com that stated that in March of 2001, Dolly and the rest of the livestock housed at the Roslin Institute near Edinburgh, Scotland, were threatened by the foot-and-mouth epidemic sweeping through Britain. In response, Dolly was quarantined, and visitors, who have flocked to see her since her birth, were banned. An even more recent article dated July 5, 2001, reports that celebrations for Dolly's 5th birthday were put on hold due to the quarantine, so Dolly celebrated her special day in isolation. Sadly, Dolly's special status will not protect her if the disease spreads to the institute, and her future remains uncertain.
Editor's Note: Sadly,
Dolly died on February 14, 2003. She was suffering from progressive lung disease and scientists at the Roslin Institute made the decision to put her to sleep. Her body was preserved and is now on display at the National Museum of Scotland.
|
