I wish they wouldn't
Jan. 19th, 2022 09:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingBring in the clones: Instagrammers are genetically replicating their pets
https://www.inputmag.com/culture/instagram-influencers-viagen-cloning-pets-cats-dogs
Although Udvar-Hazy’s pack of clones may seem exceptional, the act of bringing back a pet is becoming more common — and it’s especially evident on Instagram. The team behind top petfluencer Tinkerbelle, a five-pound papitese with more than 500,000 followers on Instagram, revealed in 2019 that Tinkerbelle’s DNA was being stored for cloning. (The announcement post is labeled a “paid partnership” with ViaGen.)
Apparently, "the price tag for cloning a pet ranges anywhere from $35,000 to $50,000, depending on the animal," which is wild. Also...
Critics have frequently raised concerns about the ethics of cloning pets, as it involves putting surrogate animals through the difficult IVF process. Also, some argue that it seems decadent, given that there are 6.3 million animals entering U.S. shelters every year.
I am "Critics." Don't get me wrong, I bought my corgi from an Amish farm, and I don't think most shelter dogs are necessarily a good fit for people who live in tiny urban apartments. I am not an ideological purist concerning pet ownership. But cloning seems a bit excessive for the purpose of maintaining an active account on Instagram.
“If someone made a living off of their pet and then suddenly their pet is gone, what do they do?” she asks. Rodriguez has pointed this out to Instagrammers at petfluencer conferences, and felt they found her viewpoint eye-opening. “They were all amazed,” she says. “We definitely got some clients that moved forward with preserving the cells.”
Anyway, today I learned that there are conferences for pet influencers on Instagram, Lord save our souls.
https://www.inputmag.com/culture/instagram-influencers-viagen-cloning-pets-cats-dogs
Although Udvar-Hazy’s pack of clones may seem exceptional, the act of bringing back a pet is becoming more common — and it’s especially evident on Instagram. The team behind top petfluencer Tinkerbelle, a five-pound papitese with more than 500,000 followers on Instagram, revealed in 2019 that Tinkerbelle’s DNA was being stored for cloning. (The announcement post is labeled a “paid partnership” with ViaGen.)
Apparently, "the price tag for cloning a pet ranges anywhere from $35,000 to $50,000, depending on the animal," which is wild. Also...
Critics have frequently raised concerns about the ethics of cloning pets, as it involves putting surrogate animals through the difficult IVF process. Also, some argue that it seems decadent, given that there are 6.3 million animals entering U.S. shelters every year.
I am "Critics." Don't get me wrong, I bought my corgi from an Amish farm, and I don't think most shelter dogs are necessarily a good fit for people who live in tiny urban apartments. I am not an ideological purist concerning pet ownership. But cloning seems a bit excessive for the purpose of maintaining an active account on Instagram.
“If someone made a living off of their pet and then suddenly their pet is gone, what do they do?” she asks. Rodriguez has pointed this out to Instagrammers at petfluencer conferences, and felt they found her viewpoint eye-opening. “They were all amazed,” she says. “We definitely got some clients that moved forward with preserving the cells.”
Anyway, today I learned that there are conferences for pet influencers on Instagram, Lord save our souls.
no subject
Date: 2022-01-19 05:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-01-19 06:23 pm (UTC)Unless you were an absolute supervillain about it and made like a thousand clones to populate a small pet city. I might be able to get behind that.