By Neena Bhandari
Sydney, 31.05.2002 (IPS): Scientists at the Australian Museum here were visibly jubilant when they announced recently that they are closer to resurrecting the Tasmanian tiger from extinction through cloning, but other scientists and environmentalists have greeted the news with more sobriety.
Indeed, many are raising questions about the multimillion-dollar project, including whether or not it will help in biodiversity conservation in Australia.
Although these experts concede that the cloning is a “breakthrough”, they argue that conventional conservation deserves more time, energy and resources than it is getting right now, and that technology should be directed towards preserving endangered species, not extinct mammals.