And what about cloning itself? Is that right?
Mr. Hawthorne from the cat cloning company says, 'Animals are so important to some people. They become friends. Animals do not criticise. People love their animals. They will do anything to keep them forever. Cloning is the answer. Surely it is a good thing'. Many people are concerned that cloning is not a good thing. For example Derek Conway is chief of the UK group 'Cats Protection'. He said: 'The cloning of cats interferes with nature. It raises serious questions concerning whether a pet can ever be truly replaced. ' Mr. Conway says that we do not even know if cloning is safe. He points to the many cloned animals that have died early or have been born sick and damaged.
Dolly the sheep, died young. Some experts believe that she died early because she was a clone. The scientists who cloned her say that her death may have been nothing to do with that. Either way - her early death has raised questions.
Cloning is a subject of much argument and debate. Dr Patrick Dixon has written a book on cloning. He believes that cloning is a very worrying issue. He says that the subject of gene technology is far bigger than most people can understand. He does not believe that we know enough about the possible dangers.
Dr Dixon is not alone. Cloning has produced Dolly the sheep and Cc the cat. Could it also be used to produce cloned humans? Could it bring back to life animals of the past - animals that do not exist today? Could it even produce new sorts of creatures - with mixed genes? These are areas that scientists are already exploring.
