Pups from 1st cloned dog to be distributed to public

Puppies born from the world's first cloned dog will be offered to good homes later this year, South Korean researchers said on Thursday.

The three male and six female pups were fathered by Snuppy, an Afghan hound who was cloned in 2005 by a team led by Professor Lee Byung-Chun of Seoul National University.

Snuppy impregnated two cloned bitches of the same breed through artificial insemination, in an experiment to test the reproductive ability of cloned dogs. The offspring were born in May last year.

"All the puppies are in very good health," Lee told journalists. The university's veterinary college will receive on-line applications through its home page starting on October 31.

"We'll study the applications and distribute the puppies to those who are fond of pets and capable of raising them well," Lee said.

The team also produced the world's first cloned wolves in 2005. But one of the pair died last month, apparently from infection.

(c) 2009 AFP