https://english.news.cn/20260427/8d1257e44f3849f1a9113e97baac55eb/c.html

In a joint project by researchers from the regional plateau institute of biology, the Damxung County government and Zhejiang University, 10 cloned Yak calves were born in  southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region.

Researchers in Zhejiang University used whole-genome selection and somatic cell cloning technologies to produce the cloned yaks.

 The calves consisted of three black yaks and seven white ones, and the mass births came after the first cloned yak was born in July 2025, which has grown healthily and weighs about 183 kg now.

Yaks are endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, serving as both a key livelihood asset for local herding communities and an integral component of the plateau’s ecosystem. Unlike ordinary cattle cloning, yaks have developed unique cellular mechanisms to adapt to the plateau’s low oxygen and strong ultraviolet radiation.

High-altitude agriculture and animal husbandry is one of the key industries Xizang is pursuing during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) period.