Cloned Dogs With Enhanced Abilities to Help Russian Police in Siberia

Is the clone wars coming? Genetically enhanced cloned police dogs are expected to take to the streets stronger, faster, and better.

According to a report from RT, Dr. Hwang Woo and his team of scientists from the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation in South Korea cloned the three dogs that arrived in Yakutsk in Yakutia Republic, Siberia earlier this week. Sooam is one of the top dog cloning facilities in the whole world.

These three-year-old dogs -- named Tom, Mark, and Jack -- have been delivered to the Russian Military Historical Society, a group that works hand in hand with the police force. Their breed is the Belgian Malinois, while the canines were cloned from the cells of South Korea's "most revered sniffer dog". Scientists go as far to say that the unique abilities of the adult dog were passed down to his clones.

Val Chugunov assured Interfax that the pups are all doing well after their long trip from one continent to another.

"They feel good after the trip and have already been observed by the veterinarian," he added. "They have good appetite and play all the time."

The dogs need some acclimatizing to the chilly Siberian temperature though. Chugunov said, "When we released them for a walk, they instantly ran back. But I think they will get used to the [Russian] cold."

Soon, the trio will have to be separated for their new jobs. One dog will remain with the foundation as a sniffer for archaeological sites and graves, while the other two will be deployed to the Yakutia police.

While Tom, Mark, and Jack have already gone through basic handling training, a report from Telegraph revealed that there is still need for further training because the dogs need to take orders in Russian as well as Korean.

This isn't the first time Yakutia has worked closely with Dr Hwang and Sooam Biotech. They are already in a project together that's focused on cloning woolly mammoths using genetic material that has survived in Siberia. Sooam has already opened a molecular palaeontology center for this project in Yakutia's North Eastern Federal University.