Cloned South Korean Drug Dogs on the Prowl
Four years after creating the first dog clone and only months after creating four Beagles that glow red under ultraviolet light, scientists at Seoul National University, South Korea have given the world its latest weapon against combating drug smuggling.
Six Labradores named “Toppy,” short for tomorrow-puppy, cloned by a team led by researcher Lee-Byung-Chun have completed a 16-month training program and are now on active duty at Incheon International Airport.
The Canadian breed, notorious for its highly discerning sense of smell are actually quite inferior to the clones. Only 3 out of 10 naturally born Labradors have what it takes to work for South Korean customs, so in order to save money and time trying to find the best of the best, why not push forward a $30 million program to clone the beasts? And these scientists have also been sure to note that they are no longer affiliated with former colleague Hwang Woo-Suk who in 2006 was disgraced when his claims that he invented stem-cell research were proven false.
This leads us to think that far more is being said about South Korea’s desire for recognition in the scientific community than there is about groundbreaking developments in anti-drug trafficking.
[LA Times]
