The Pyrenean Ibex is an animal similar to the goat or a ram. On January 6, 2000 the last Ibex, Celia, was found dead. Extinction of the Pyrenean Ibex is unknown but has been presumed that extinction arose from the inability to compete with other species for food. Others suggest that it is possible disease and or hunting attributed to death of the Ibex as well. From January 6, 2000, the Pyrenean Ibex remained extinct for 9 years.
In January of 2009, Advanced Cell Technology, Inc (a biotechnology company) began using Ibex tissue that was collected in 2000 for nuclear transfer cloning. They had a great idea they thought would be pretty easy, clone the Ibex back into population and set it free in its habitat, but it didn’t work out quite that way. Problems started when an acceptable male clone could not be created.

2003 was Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.’s first attempt and it was a failure. 285 embryos were successfully created, but all of them died before birth. There was one successful attempt in 2009 when a clone was finally born alive! However, as exciting as it began, the clone passed away seven minutes after it was born due to defects in its lungs. It was because of this birth and death that the Pyrenean Ibex was once again an extinct species.

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