Argentina's Milei cloned his dog Conan and named one clone after him
Javier Milei cloned his dog Conan in 2018 with ViaGen Pets, producing five copies. He chose the clone that watched television as the original. A look at pet cloning.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The Argentine president cloned his dog and calls his canines his children
Javier Milei, president of Argentina, not only treats his dogs like children, but has turned to cloning to keep the memory of his favorite mastiff, Conan, alive. According to CNN en Español, in 2018 the then economist cloned his dog, who died in 2017, through the company ViaGen Pets, obtaining five genetically identical puppies, "like identical twins," according to a company spokesperson. Among them, Milei named one Conan, claiming it shared behaviors with the original, such as watching television.
The story became known when the current president presented his dogs on a show on América TV in 2018, although he left out the clone of Conan. Pet cloning, a service that costs tens of thousands of dollars, has been used by public figures to prolong their bond with their animals. Milei, who refers to his dogs as his "children," has generated controversy by combining his image as a libertarian economist with these practices.
The curious thing about the case is not just the cloning, but the choice of successor: the new Conan is not the first of the litter, but the one that, according to those close to him, reproduced the original's gestures, such as watching television. A puzzling detail for a politician who presents himself as disruptive.
Five exact genetic copies, but only one inherited the gesture of watching the screen. A perfect imitation of behavior, not just of DNA.
Javier Milei, president of Argentina, not only treats his dogs like children, but has turned to cloning to keep the memory of his favorite mastiff, Conan, alive. According to CNN en Español, in 2018 the then economist cloned his dog, who died in 2017, through the company ViaGen Pets, obtaining five genetically identical puppies, "like identical twins," according to a company spokesperson. Among them, Milei named one Conan, claiming it shared behaviors with the original, such as watching television.
The story became known when the current president presented his dogs on a show on América TV in 2018, although he left out the clone of Conan. Pet cloning, a service that costs tens of thousands of dollars, has been used by public figures to prolong their bond with their animals. Milei, who refers to his dogs as his "children," has generated controversy by combining his image as a libertarian economist with these practices.
The curious thing about the case is not just the cloning, but the choice of successor: the new Conan is not the first of the litter, but the one that, according to those close to him, reproduced the original's gestures, such as watching television. A puzzling detail for a politician who presents himself as disruptive.
Five exact genetic copies, but only one inherited the gesture of watching the screen. A perfect imitation of behavior, not just of DNA.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (10 replies).
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