The world ’ s first cloned camel is pregnant , scientists claim . The mother-to-be , whose name is Injaz , was cloned from the ovarian cells of a slaughtered camel in 2009 and born from a surrogate mother . Injaz was six years old this week and is said to have conceived naturally . The world ’ s first cloned camel is pregnant , scientists claim . The mother-to-be , whose name is Injaz , was cloned from the ovarian cells of a slaughtered camel in 2009 and born by surrogate mother . Injaz is pictured here when she was just six days old . Dr Nisar Wani , scientific director of the Reproductive Biotechnology Centre in Nad Al Sheba , Dubai , told The National : ‘ We are very excited because Injaz is now pregnant and we expect to have a calf from her late this year . ‘ She has conceived in a natural way . This will prove cloned camels are fertile and can reproduce the same as naturally produced camels. ’ The birth of Injaz , whose name means 'achievement ' in Arabic , caused great excitement in 2009 and scientists said that cloning would help to preserve the genetics of the camel population . Camels are a valuable commodity in the desert sheikdoms of the Persian Gulf , and are used for racing and transport . They can also produce low-fat milk and can make owners millions of dollars at camel beauty contests . Since Injaz was born , many more animals have been produced by genetic cloning , including one from the cells of a camel beauty pageant winner . It 's 19 years since the first mammal was cloned . Dolly the sheep ( pictured ) was born in Edinburgh using DNA from an adult cell . Since Injaz was born , many more animals have been produced by genetic cloning , including one from the cells of a camel beauty pageant winner , the BBC reported . It took five years of work before Injaz was cloned . She was born on April 8 , 2009 weighing 66lbs ( 30kg ) , after an uncomplicated gestation of 378 days . The calf was created from cells harvested from the ovary of an adult camel . The cells were then planted into the egg of a surrogate mother . Injaz was confirmed as genetically identical to the camel the cells were taken from , according to United Arab Emirates newspapers at the time . The world 's first mammal was cloned 19 years ago . Dolly the sheep was born in Edinburgh using DNA from an adult cell . Dolly was put down in 2003 , after being diagnosed with lung disease , but since then , scientists have successfully cloned mice , cows , pigs and dogs as well as camels . Human embryos have been genetically modified so that any changes made will be carried on into future generations for the first time , according to scientists . Researchers around the world are bracing themselves for the results of a study by scientists in China that has introduced DNA changes to reproductive cells . Many scientists have already reacted with horror at the idea , for fear it could be misused to allow parents to 'select ' the genes they will pass on to their grandchildren . Human embryos , like the one above , may have been genetically modified with new gene editing techniques . They say that even embryos created in this way for research purposes only could have serious ethical and safety implications . They have described it as 'dangerous and ethically unacceptable ' . However , others argue that the technology could also be used to rid families of devastating inherited diseases like cystic fibrosis or certain cancers . Until now scientists have concentrated on using genome editing techniques on somatic cells - non-reproductive cells like those found in skin , muscle , nerves , bone and liver for example - to help them study diseases . Modifying the DNA of human embryos so that DNA changes are preserved in the germline - the sperm and eggs - means such alterations can be passed on to future generations . Such work is already illegal in many countries around the world including the UK , but is permitted in the US and China . A number of groups around the world are thought to be working on techniques to genetically modify human embryos .
Cloned camel was born in 2009 and called Inzaz , which means achievement . She was cloned from ovarian cells and born by surrogate mother . Injaz is now six years old and is said to have conceived naturally . She 's expected to give birth late this year , proving cloned animals ' fertility .