Should we Clone Seul?
"Chinese scientists say they have successfully produced an embryo clone of a giant panda, and are hoping that it will now develop to maturity. They are hailing it as a possible breakthrough in their efforts to save one of the world's most endangered species." says BBC News. ''They are notoriously reluctant to reproduce, and experts have warned that the animal could be extinct within 25 years.''
Giant pandas are going extinct, and fast. In fact, the only living giant panda left is Seul. His name suits him, as Seul means ''alone'' or ''only'' in French. Giant pandas are in dire need of revival, and cloning Seul may be our only hope of saving the pandas. According to BBC News, pandas have already been attempted to be cloned before, back in 1999 when the article was written. If we have tried it before in 1999, we can try it again in 2024*.
Natália Bressan Grandino explains "The extinction of any living being will interfere with the flora and fauna of a region; will affect the food chain. If it was a scorpion, maybe people would think it would be okay to be extinguished, because it is a poisonous animal. But I do not think so. I think every animal, if it exists, is important. Man has no right to interfere in the life of a species.''
Pandas do play a very important role in the ecosystem. They help keep the bamboo from overgrowing and taking over the forests, leaving a more manageable size. Pandas can eat as little as twenty-six pounds of food to as much as eighty-four pounds, keeping the bamboo controlled so the bamboo does not overgrow. Pandas also help spread the bamboo seeds, to make sure the bamboo does not under grow. Giant pandas are extremely important in keeping the bamboo levels balanced so the surrounding area is not stripped of its nutrients. Pandas also bring tourists to China, their natural habitat, and this can boost the economy of China, reducing dependence of poaching giant pandas for their skin.
Even though cloning can cause defects, cloning Seul may be the only hope we have to repopulate the giant pandas. We can handle birth defects, but can we candle the extinction of pandas? Can nature handle the extinction of pandas? The answer is no, nature depends on the giant pandas to keep the bamboo levels to a manageable size, and without the pandas to help, the bamboo will overgrow and strip the nutrients out of the ground. If they overgrow too much, bamboo could even go extinct, just like the pandas are going. We need pandas, and cloning will bring back the giant pandas. Even if we start out with birth defects, we can learn from our mistakes and the technology can improve enough to have healthy, perfect, panda clones.
*Note: Because this is a school project with a situation made up, I am pretending this is the year 2024 in order to allow that twenty-five year time range for the giant pandas to go extinct. Seul is not the last panda, nor is he real.
Giant pandas are going extinct, and fast. In fact, the only living giant panda left is Seul. His name suits him, as Seul means ''alone'' or ''only'' in French. Giant pandas are in dire need of revival, and cloning Seul may be our only hope of saving the pandas. According to BBC News, pandas have already been attempted to be cloned before, back in 1999 when the article was written. If we have tried it before in 1999, we can try it again in 2024*.
Natália Bressan Grandino explains "The extinction of any living being will interfere with the flora and fauna of a region; will affect the food chain. If it was a scorpion, maybe people would think it would be okay to be extinguished, because it is a poisonous animal. But I do not think so. I think every animal, if it exists, is important. Man has no right to interfere in the life of a species.''
Pandas do play a very important role in the ecosystem. They help keep the bamboo from overgrowing and taking over the forests, leaving a more manageable size. Pandas can eat as little as twenty-six pounds of food to as much as eighty-four pounds, keeping the bamboo controlled so the bamboo does not overgrow. Pandas also help spread the bamboo seeds, to make sure the bamboo does not under grow. Giant pandas are extremely important in keeping the bamboo levels balanced so the surrounding area is not stripped of its nutrients. Pandas also bring tourists to China, their natural habitat, and this can boost the economy of China, reducing dependence of poaching giant pandas for their skin.
Even though cloning can cause defects, cloning Seul may be the only hope we have to repopulate the giant pandas. We can handle birth defects, but can we candle the extinction of pandas? Can nature handle the extinction of pandas? The answer is no, nature depends on the giant pandas to keep the bamboo levels to a manageable size, and without the pandas to help, the bamboo will overgrow and strip the nutrients out of the ground. If they overgrow too much, bamboo could even go extinct, just like the pandas are going. We need pandas, and cloning will bring back the giant pandas. Even if we start out with birth defects, we can learn from our mistakes and the technology can improve enough to have healthy, perfect, panda clones.
*Note: Because this is a school project with a situation made up, I am pretending this is the year 2024 in order to allow that twenty-five year time range for the giant pandas to go extinct. Seul is not the last panda, nor is he real.