For the first time, Vietnam has successfully cloned the endangered Vietnamese Pot-bellied pigs using a somatic cell cloning technique.

The National Institute of Animal Sciences under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development announced Sunday that four baby Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs have been reproduced through a cloning technique involving somatic cells derived from ear tissues.

The Vietnamese pot-bellied pig is a traditional, domestic breed reared for meat. It is native to northern Vietnam, with their characteristic black and wrinkled skin. Though it is not considered to bring in high economic value, its meat is regarded to be of high quality. The FAO has classified the pig as an endangered breed.

Vietnamese Pot-bellied pigs on rice terraces in Sa Pa, Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. Photo by Viethavvh.

Pham Cong Thieu, head of the animal sciences institute, said the "birth" of the baby pigs was a technological leap for Vietnam in animal cloning.

"The achievement has opened up new research paths for applying animal cloning technologies in choosing and preserving animal breeds that are very rare or have big economic value," he said.

By Tat Dinh