In the desert sands of a wealthy Arabian kingdom, a famously beautiful long-dead camel called Mabrokan has been brought back to life. Eleven healthy camel calves recently celebrated their first birthday in the red dunes of the United Arab Emirates. They look like normal camel babies, but these identical brothers are extraordinary. They are clones, born from the frozen cells of the show champion, Mabrokan, who died more than a decade ago. Spearheaded by an Emirati royal, Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed, this astounding achievement is the result of a collaboration between South Korean cloning expert, Professor Hwang Woo-Suk, and Australian veterinarian and camel expert, Alex Tinson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
As the world\u2019s leading camel vet, Tinson\u2019s story is as fascinating as his many outstanding achievements in the field of camel reproduction. His autobiography, The Desert Vet, chronicles his journey \u2018from city boy to Bedouin nomad\u2019 and has attracted the attention of filmmakers and production studios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than 30 years ago, Tinson was head-hunted to improve the speed and performance of the UAE Crown Prince\u2019s racing camel stock. At that time, the Crown Prince (now President and Ruler of the UAE), Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nayan\u2019s camels ranked second to last out of the seven emirates. Although new to the wiles and power plays of Middle Eastern culture, Tinson soon realized the goal was not simply to win the lavish cash prizes or the coveted Golden Sword. In the Arabian desert, whoever owned the fastest racing camels held the prestige of all the tribal clans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Within a few short years of improved nutrition, training and breeding the Crown Prince\u2019s racing stable secured their position at the top of the camel racing league. In the process of breeding faster racing camels, Tinson pioneered several world firsts in the field of camel reproduction: first camel calf born from embryo transfer, first calf born from a frozen embryo and first identical twin calves born from embryo bisection. Now he can add first cloned camel calves born from the frozen cells of a dead donor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thanks to the humble camel, Tinson is firmly entrenched in the UAE. His eldest daughter married an Emirati, and he has four Emirati grandchildren. Although he has built a life in the desert sands of Arabia, Tinson\u2019s love affair with camels began in the deserts of Australia. In early 1988, Tinson was the race vet for the Great Australian Camel Race, a gruelling 3300 km endurance race through Australia\u2019s harsh Outback landscape. \u201cOn one of the legs a camel travelled 220 km in 23 hours,\u201d Tinson said. \u201cThey covered distances no-one believed possible. That\u2019s when my fascination for the camel really grew exponentially, along with my respect.\u201d And it was halfway during the race that he was offered the job that would change his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tinson is a self-professed \u2018camel tragic\u2019, admiring the desert beasts for their beauty, intelligence, grace and grit. \u201cCamels can deal with anything, no matter what you throw at them. They\u2019re tough. From a vet\u2019s point of view, they\u2019re an easy and fascinating animal to work with. Compared to cows and horses, camels can survive on less water and food and are more resistant to disease. And even though camels have an extra membrane in their placenta and the calf has a long neck and long legs, they give birth a lot easier.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now it seems they clone much easier too. \u201cThe best pregnancy rate we\u2019ve had from cloning is 52 per cent with an average of 30 per cent,\u201d Tinson said. \u201cIn cows the pregnancy rate from cloning is 15 per cent and it\u2019s only 8-10 per cent in horses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The President\u2019s stable of 3000 racing camels live at Hili in the desert sands north of the oasis town of Al Ain. It is here that Tinson oversees the natural breeding, oocyte collection and embryo transfer operations. The cloning process is led by Professor Hwang Woo-Suk at the UAE Biotech Research Center, a state-of-the-art lab set up by Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister for Presidential Affairs, Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed. Professor Hwang is the South Korean veterinarian and cloning expert who created the world\u2019s first cloned dog. He is also known for his controversial claim of cloning the world\u2019s first human embryos and his interest in resurrecting the woolly mammoth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the world\u2019s leading camel reproduction expert and the world\u2019s leading animal cloning expert on board, it\u2019s no wonder UAE Biotech is achieving such amazing results. The centre clones camels for their racing prowess, high milk yields or good looks. Cloning for beauty is not as bizarre as it sounds when you realize beauty pageant winners are worth millions of dollars. The champion show camel, Mabrokan, weighed over 1000 kg and had a massive head that towered three metres above his handlers in his \u2018show stance\u2019. In fact, Mabrokan was so renowned for his beauty that when he died, he was given the rare honour of being sent to Paris to be stuffed. His body is on permanent display in the foyer of the Ministry for Presidential Affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen Mabrokan died suddenly in 2010, a quick decision was made to preserve some of his tissues in case something \u2018exciting\u2019 could be done for him in the future,\u201d Tinson said. \u201cIt was the height of summer with 50C+ daily temperatures which made the collection and preservation of tissue sub-optimal. But some testicular tissue and skin was harvested and preserved in liquid nitrogen at -196C in the hope they might be viable. These tissues literally laid in suspended animation for ten years until they were examined post-thaw by Professor Hwang\u2019s team. Against the odds, there were viable cells in the skin tissue samples.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cloning process involves Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT). In this process, the DNA of the surrogate oocyte (egg) is removed and replaced by the donor cell DNA using micro-needles and robotic-like micro-manipulation under a high magnification microscope. Using the same SCNT method that had given the team successful births from living donor camels, the DNA from Mabrokan\u2019s frozen skin cells was fused into a new egg using a micro-pulse of electricity. The embryos created were cultured for six days in the lab under a delicate incubation process and transferred into surrogate female camels. This resulted in a total of 45 pregnancies. Of this number, 11 live calves with an identical match to Mabrokan were born in February 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the UAE Biotech Research Center it\u2019s not just camels on the menu. The centre has set its sights on leading the world with large scale commercial cloning of horses, camels, cattle, dogs, cats, and wildlife. But what of the ethics and animal welfare issues involved?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMany people will be against cloning,\u201d Tinson said. \u201cI was against it at the start. But look at what it enables you to do. The research side is quite extraordinary. Take Moodir, a camel who won five Gold Swords last year. She is the fastest camel we\u2019ve ever had. Now we have 22 cloned pregnancies from her. Imagine what you could do with those 22 copies in exercise physiology research, nutrition, and performance research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur biggest issue in breeding technology is restriction to quality stock,\u201d Tinson continued. \u201cSo a good male can quickly become overused through mating, and fertility decreases. But if we clone our best camels, we can have these cloned animals in different locations. We can mate the clone without fear of overexerting the (original) camel. And if you mate these clones back to normal stock you maintain hybrid vigour and won\u2019t decrease the gene pool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although researchers have observed some adverse health effects (including an increase in birth size, defects in vital organs, premature aging and immune system problems) in sheep and other mammals that have been cloned, Tinson is surprised at the lack of abnormalities in cloned camel offspring. Perhaps it\u2019s another reason to extol the wonders of the camel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The science of cloning is ever evolving and opens the door to endless possibilities. Cloning could save animals on the endangered list and species on the verge of extinction. Tinson\u2019s team is already involved in cloning rare and endangered Arabian mammals. But the scope is even greater. Just like Mabrokan was brought back from the dead, extinct species could be brought back to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The UAE has proved many times over that it has the wealth, technology, and grandiose desires to make anything possible. As fantastic as it sounds, visions of woolly mammoths roaming an artificially designed ice park in the desert may one day be a reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although DNA collected from Ice Age mammoths appears viable, there are other logistical issues. Elephants are the logical surrogates, but their size creates problems. \u201cIt\u2019s too difficult to collect oocytes from a live elephant either vaginally or surgically. One thought is to transplant ovarian tissue from an elephant into the ovary of a lab animal and grow elephant oocytes in, say, a rat,\u201d Tinson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Researchers are also looking into gene-editing the skin cells of elephants to carry mammoth genes and growing the embryo in an artificial womb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut do we need to resurrect the mammoth when elephants are facing enough problems?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a pertinent question and one worthy of serious deliberation. The resurrection of an extinct species like the woolly mammoth seems technically within reach but the ethical and animal welfare considerations require further discussion, examination, and thorough understanding of the consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt that when you\u2019re bringing something back from the dead, there\u2019s a real worry of developing a God complex. It\u2019s a huge ego thing,\u201d Tinson said. \u201cIt\u2019s a scary situation when you think we have a lot of human genetic material and a lot of potential surrogates. I worry what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands. And whose are the wrong hands?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the desert sands at Hili, Mabrokan\u2019s 11 cloned calves are oblivious to the extraordinary story of their creation. Nor are they concerned with the future implications of their very existence. Like any other year-old camel baby, they frolic through the sand on their gangly legs and chatter and play with their pack. They live comfortable and unburdened lives, but these cloned beauties are watched very closely. Only time will tell if they realize the full potential of their acclaimed and identical show champion, Mabrokan, but to Tinson these babies will always be exceptional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They are living proof of what can be achieved when one man pushes the boundaries of what is possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Olivia Pozzan<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the desert sands of a wealthy Arabian kingdom, a famously beautiful long-dead camel called Mabrokan has been brought back to life. Eleven healthy camel calves recently celebrated their first birthday in the red dunes of the United Arab Emirates. They look like normal camel babies, but these identical brothers are extraordinary. They are clones, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[685,572,682,78,201],"class_list":["post-2992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-alex-tinson","tag-breeding","tag-camels","tag-face-to-face","tag-features-2"],"rise-blocks_total_comments":0,"rise-blocks_categories":[{"term_id":67,"name":"Features","slug":"features","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":68,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":63,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":67,"category_count":63,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Features","category_nicename":"features","category_parent":0}],"rise-blocks_excerpt":"In the desert sands of a wealthy Arabian kingdom, a famously beautiful long-dead camel called Mabrokan has been brought back to life. Eleven healthy camel calves recently celebrated their first birthday in the red dunes of the United Arab Emirates. They look like normal camel babies, but these identical brothers are extraordinary. They are clones, born from the frozen cells..","blog_post_layout_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/book-cover-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"full":["https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/book-cover-scaled.jpg",1707,2560,false]},"categories_names":{"67":{"name":"Features","link":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/?cat=67"}},"tags_names":{"685":{"name":"Alex Tinson","link":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/?tag=alex-tinson"},"572":{"name":"breeding","link":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/?tag=breeding"},"682":{"name":"camels","link":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/?tag=camels"},"78":{"name":"Face to Face","link":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/?tag=face-to-face"},"201":{"name":"features","link":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/?tag=features-2"}},"comments_number":"0","wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":["https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/book-cover-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"cvmm-medium":["https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/book-cover-scaled.jpg",200,300,false],"cvmm-medium-plus":["https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/book-cover-scaled.jpg",138,207,false],"cvmm-portrait":["https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/book-cover-scaled.jpg",400,600,false],"cvmm-medium-square":["https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/book-cover-scaled.jpg",400,600,false],"cvmm-large":["https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/book-cover-scaled.jpg",683,1024,false],"cvmm-small":["https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/book-cover-scaled.jpg",63,95,false],"full":["https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/book-cover-scaled.jpg",1707,2560,false]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2992"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2994,"href":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2992\/revisions\/2994"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theveterinarian.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}