India's 'Dolly' is a buffalo

Karnal: This is a no ordinary calf. It is India's first cloned buffalo, a darling of scientists, lovingly named Garima. It is now 15 days old, weighs about 43 kg and is doing well.

The animal has been born using techniques that are more modern than the ones used for cloning 'Dolly' the sheep, say the scientists who have published their findings in the journal 'Cloning and Stem Cells'. An earlier cloning attempt at the same lab in January had failed as the calf died within a week of its birth.

India is home to the world's largest population of buffaloes, yet the milk yield per animal is still low. Scientists feel using this locally developed technique of cloning, they can increase the numbers of elite animals, boosting milk and meat production in the long run.