Is cloning wrong? Chinese scientists have made a copy of a rhesus monkey. But animal rights campaigners say their work is wrong.
Fury over monkey cloned for medical research
Is cloning wrong? Chinese scientists have made a copy of a rhesus monkey. But animal rights campaigners say their work is wrong.
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Dr Falong Lu was celebrating. An animal called ReTro had just reached his second birthday. This meant that they had finally clonedThe process of creating an exact copy. a rhesus monkey.
Two monkeys were cloned in China in 2017 - a pair called Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua. But they belonged to a speciesA set of animals or plants with similar features. Members of the same species can breed with each other. called macaque. Rhesus monkeys, who are closer to human beings, are much harder to make copies of.
The idea of cloning them is to help medical research. Scientists say it can help to speed up the process of testing new medicines - without harming any humans.
But not all attempts at cloning work out. Many of the clones are born unhealthy and do not live for very long.
Animal rights campaignersPeople who call for change. Activists. say it is wrong to create unhealthy animals that will suffer and to test medicines on healthy animals.
But supporters of cloning say that the needs of humans, including medicines to treat illnesses, should come before the needs of animals.
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Is cloning wrong?
Yes! It is not right to clone animals when we know it may mean that many unhealthy animals are born. We should not put human needs first.
No! For now, cloning monkeys is the best way we have to test medicines. It would be worse to test them on humans and for humans to be hurt.
Cloned - The process of creating an exact copy.
Species - A set of animals or plants with similar features. Members of the same species can breed with each other.
Campaigners - People who call for change. Activists.
Fury over monkey cloned for medical research

Glossary
Cloned - The process of creating an exact copy.
Species - A set of animals or plants with similar features. Members of the same species can breed with each other.
Campaigners - People who call for change. Activists.