Three Belgian Malionois joined the Russian armed forces last week. Security forces, both police and army have long been using canines in missions. But what makes these puppies special is the fact that they are cloned! The Belgian Malinois were created from best South Korean sniffer dogs, cloned to maximise unique abilities working for police or security service. The dogs were cloned by Dr Hwang Woo Suk and his team who are also actively working on bringing back to life the giant woolly mammoth, extinct for thousands of years. The 63 year old scientist brought the animals some 2,725 kilometres as gifts from South Korea’s capital Seoul to Yakutsk, capital of Yakutia, officially known as the Republic of Sakha.
They were cloned in laboratories of Sooam Biotech, the world’s first animal cloning centre. The expert led the team that produced the first cloned dog in 2005, and since then more than 500 puppies have been cloned. Semyon Grigoryev, the Museum’s director, said that the dogs are likely to be used as explosive and drugs sniffers in the Russian police or FSB.
‘These dogs are very young, in Korea they went through a basic training, so handlers here will decide what best to choose for them depending on their abilities and talents,’ he said.