Cross Breeds

Do you think cloning extinct animals from preserved DNA is ethical?

Hi, I asked this question about 18 hours ago but I thought 'd ask it again to get a different set of opinions. In Australia for the last few years some museums have created a stir by attempting to resurrect the extinct Thylacine (or Tasmanian Tiger) from preserved DNA. Do you think this is ethical? Do you think it's resurrection would have an impact on the environment where it would be re-introduced? All opinions welcome.

Public Comments

1. No, because extinct animals will have behaviours which could mess up current ecosystems.
2. If the animal was driven to extinction by human activities, then maybe. However, you'd have to make sure that there's still suitable habitat available for the animal to live and thrive, and figure out ahead of time how you would deal with potential conflicts. Like, reintroducing gray wolves into Maryland wouldn't be a good idea because there's not enough habitat, and there would be way too much human conflict. I think the same things would need to be taken into account before cloning an extinct species. Also, there's the issue of genetic diversity. If they have DNA from 30 thylacines, great. But if there is only DNA from one or two animals, then there would never be a chance of creating a viable population, so there really wouldn't be a point in cloning it. And of course, if the animals went extinct naturally, then leave them dead.
3. I don't think it's any worse than artificial insemination. I mean if we do it w/ humans,
4. I don't think that if they were to successfully remake the creature, they would introduce it back into the wild. The Thylacine thrived in the temperate forest habitat, and with the deforestation that we are having, they wouldn't have any room to release it to the wild. If they do manage to recreate a "dinosaur" they will have to keep it in captivity, not only to study, but to also ensure it's survival. It would be a shame to put so much money into making an animal and finding out that it cannot survive in the wild. Just like if we were capable of making an Emuasaurus, we wouldn't be sure if: 1. it was a carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore. 2. if it was dangerous to humans 3. if it could feed off of the environment and thrive 4. if it would eliminate some of the species that currently live in the habitat. 5. if it would "reverse evolve" to better adapt to the area. Unless they can control all of that, I highly doubt that it'll ever happen. Other animals that probably would've lived with the extinct creatures have evolved as well, so there's so many different variables, that I highly doubt it to be possible.