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A first: Cloned buffalo delivers calf
Tribune News Service

World’s first surviving cloned buffalo Garima-II with its calf at the NDRI, Karnal, on Friday. Tribune photo: Ravi Kumar

Karnal, January 25
In a major breakthrough, a cloned buffalo for the first time ever gave birth to a calf at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) here. The birth of a female calf to a cloned buffalo, Garima-II, is being seen as a revolution in the dairy sector.

Garima-II, the world’s first surviving cloned buffalo produced through hand-guided cloning technique, gave birth to another female, christened Mahima, at 1.51 pm by normal parturition.

“Mahima, weighing 32 kg, started suckling milk within 30 minutes of birth and is healthy,” said NDRI director Dr AK Srivastav.

The National Dairy Research Institute had earned worldwide acclaim for producing the world’s first buffalo cloned calf on August 22, 2010. Garima-II attained early sexual maturity at 19 months — normal age of puberty is 28 months — and was inseminated with frozen-thawed semen of a progeny tested bull (NDRI No. 1875) on March 27, 2012, which resulted in conception.

During her gestation, Garima-II showed impending calving symptoms and showed signs of second stage of parturition after medical aid. She calved normally upon slight veterinary medical assistance.

The jubilant team of scientists said the mother and calf were in good health.