Here & Now Anytime

Reverse Course: Cloning, tracking and rebuilding to save animals on the brink

Feb 27, 2026
Tara Harris, conservation director at the Phoenix Zoo, shares hands-on breeding and recovery work for imperiled species. Ryan Phelan, co-founder of Revive & Restore, explains cloning and genetic tools being tried to boost diversity. They discuss cloning black-footed ferrets, cryopreservation, tracking juvenile moose, and rebuilding Mount Graham red squirrel habitat.
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ANECDOTE

How A Ranch Dog Recovered A Presumed Extinct Species

  • A ranch dog named Shep led to rediscovery of the black-footed ferret after killing a rare weasel in Wyoming in the early 1980s.
  • The specimen sent to a taxidermist triggered a state and federal response that saved remaining ferrets from presumed extinction.
INSIGHT

Stored Cell Lines Restored Lost Ferret Diversity

  • Cloning plus decades-old cryopreserved cell lines expanded genetic diversity for black-footed ferrets beyond a tiny captive founder group.
  • Revive & Restore used Willa's stored cells from 1980s banking to introduce alleles missing in the limited breeding population.
ADVICE

Bank DNA Now To Save Future Conservation Options

  • Do cryopreserve endangered species now because future technologies (like cloning) may rely on those samples.
  • Kurt Benirschke's foresight at the San Diego Zoo to bank samples in the 1980s enabled current restoration efforts.
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