Sach-Gaurav India's first Cloned Assamese Buffalo Calf Born

Sach-Gaurav India’s first Cloned Assamese Buffalo Calf Born Details, Features, Purpose, Background

The Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes (CIRB) proclaimed on 15th March 2018 in Hisar, Haryana that India’s first cloned Assamese buffalo male calf has been born.

The CIRB Head, PS Yadav further informed that the organisation has used unique methods to produce this clone calf named as Sach-Gaurav.

The CIRB Head, PS Yadav also added ‘Sach-Gaurav’ cloned buffalo calf was born to a Murrah buffalo on 22nd December 2017, through a normal delivery with the birth weight of 54.2 kg and in good health.

The Sach-Gaurav cloned buffalo calf was also the first to be born in the field, 100 km from the cloning laboratory at Hi Tech Sach Dairy Farm.

The Sach-Gaurav calf’s genotype was confirmed by microsatellite analysis (parentage verification) and chromosome analysis.

The Assamese buffaloes are only found in the north-eastern part of India and they are chiefly used for agricultural work purpose.

Background

Animal cloning can be an excellent reproductive tool for conservation and multiplication of selected superior animals of buffalo breeds.

The CIRB and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is a central institute and it has a command and rights to conserve superior animals of all buffalo breeds.

The Sach-Gaurav calf was the second cloned male buffalo calf produced by ICAR-CIRB. Earlier it has produced ‘Hisar-Gaurav’, which was born on 11th December 2015.

The Hisar-Gaurav was producing quality semen from the age of 22 months and ten females of the institute’s herd were pregnant with its frozen semen.