In 1980, scientists took a specimen from a Mongolian wild horse named Kuporovic and preserved it at the Frozen Zoo of the San Diego Zoo. Kuporovic lived from 1975 to 1998. Analysis of pedigree in captivity reveals that Kuporovic has ancestors of two wild horses. This means it has greater genetic diversity than any other living species of the same species today. More than 20 years later, Kurt was born with Kuporovic’s genetic material.
The San Diego Zoo collaborated with wildlife conservation Revive & Restore and pet cloning company ViaGen Equine to create embryos, using Kuporovic’s genetic material. The embryo was implanted into a purebred mare (Equus ferus caballus) and was born healthy on August 6, 2020 after a normal pregnancy. It is named after Frozen Zoo’s founder Kurt Benirschke.
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