Meet the First Cloned Endangered Species

(AP)

Scientists have cloned the first U.S. endangered species, a black-footed ferret duplicated from the genes of an animal that died over 30 years ago.

Elizabeth Ann is a genetic copy of a ferret named Willa who died in 1988 and whose remains were frozen in the early days of DNA technology.

The technique holds promise for boosting endangered species including a cloned Mongolian wild horse born at a Texas facility last summer.

Viagen, a company that clones horses and pet dogs and cats, cloned both animals.