by Babra Wani
Noori, Kashmir’s first cloned Pashmina goat, lived over 12 years, proving cloning’s potential in conserving elite livestock. Her legacy supports sustainable wool production amid climate and pastoral challenges
When Nori took her first fragile steps at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) in Srinagar in 2012, few could have predicted that this small, snow-white Pashmina goat would live long enough to become a grandmother, or a scientific landmark. As the first cloned Pashmina goat of Kashmir, Noori wasn’t just a marvel of reproductive biotechnology; she was a promise of hope for the endangered Pashmina industry that is deeply rooted in the culture, economy, and identity of the Himalayan region.
Now, more than a decade later, Noori’s death in 2024 at the university’s experimental farm has stirred fresh conversations about cloning, its ethical limits, and its potential in sustaining traditional livelihoods threatened by modern challenges.
What is Cloning?
Cloning, in its simplest definition, is the process of creating an exact genetic replica of a cell, tissue, or organism. In the realm of animal biotechnology, cloning refers most commonly to somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), a method first made globally famous with the birth of Dolly the sheep in 1996 in Scotland.
In SCNT, the nucleus of a somatic (non-reproductive) cell from the animal to be cloned is inserted into an egg cell from which the nucleus has been removed. The reconstructed embryo is then stimulated to divide and develop into a blastocyst, which can be implanted into a surrogate mother for gestation. If all goes well, the offspring will be genetically identical to the donor of the original somatic cell.
Cloning is not the same as genetic modification. The DNA in a cloned animal is not altered, only copied. It is nature’s blueprint replicated through the hands of science.
Why Clone a Goat?
The idea behind cloning a Pashmina goat is deeply intertwined with economics, ecology, and heritage.
Pashmina goats, known locally as Changthangi, are native to the harsh, high-altitude terrain of Ladakh. Their soft undercoat produces the world-famous Pashmina wool, the raw material behind Kashmiri shawls prized across the globe for their warmth, lightness, and elegance. However, the number of these goats has dwindled over the years due to environmental stress, lack of veterinary care, and migration away from pastoral life.
By cloning elite Pashmina goats, scientists hoped to rapidly multiply high-yield and high-quality animals, thereby preserving desirable traits such as finer fibre diameter, better adaptability, and higher wool yield. Nori was the first success story of this approach.
The Birth of Noori
In March 2012, the team at SKUAST’s Centre for Animal Biotechnology, in collaboration with the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal, announced the birth of Noori. Her name, drawn from Noori, a reference to light or illumination, reflected both her delicate appearance and the bright hopes she embodied for biotechnology in the Himalayas.
Her birth had followed months of meticulous lab work, including the extraction of somatic cells from a high-quality donor Pashmina goat and implantation into a surrogate female.
Though cloning attempts had been made in cattle and buffalo in India before, Noori’s birth marked a first for the prized but fragile Pashmina breed, known for surviving on scarce vegetation in sub-zero Ladakhi winters. Her successful cloning was hailed as a major scientific milestone, especially given the logistical and biological challenges of working in Kashmir’s mountainous conditions.
A Long Life, A Lasting Legacy
Unlike many cloned animals that suffer from health complications or short lifespans, Noori defied the odds. She lived for over 12 years, reproducing naturally and even becoming a grandmother, a rarity among cloned mammals, whose longevity and reproductive fitness are often limited.
Her death last year was peaceful and natural, according to university officials. But her legacy lives on, both in her biological descendants and in the continued research programmes she inspired.
Thanks to Noori, SKUAST’s animal biotechnology lab went on to develop cloning protocols that are now being used to conserve other valuable local livestock breeds, from the Kashmir Merino sheep to the endangered Ladakhi yak.
Ethical and Practical Questions
Cloning has not been without controversy. Animal welfare activists often point to the high rate of failure, multiple embryos are typically lost for every successful clone, and question whether cloned animals live normal, pain-free lives.
There are also concerns about genetic diversity. If herds are made up of too many cloned animals from a limited gene pool, they may become more vulnerable to disease or environmental stress. Cloning is not a silver bullet; it is a tool, and like any tool, it must be used wisely.
In Noori’s case, however, her natural lifespan, good health, and reproductive success offered a powerful counterargument. Her life proved that, under careful scientific and ethical oversight, cloning can support rather than undermine nature.
Cloning and the Future of Pashmina
With climate change and migration taking their toll on the Changthangi pastoral way of life, cloning offers one way to safeguard the future of Pashmina wool, not through industrial scale, but through selective conservation. It allows scientists to create a genetic reservoir of elite animals whose traits can be passed on in a controlled and sustainable manner.
Nori was not just a goat. She was a bridge between the past and the future, between traditional crafts and modern science. As Kashmir’s pashmina weavers continue to spin their timeless shawls, somewhere in their midst, perhaps, are threads that lead back to her.
And that is the quiet power of cloning: not to replace nature, but to give it another chance.
(The author is a senior correspondent at Kashmir Life. Ideas are personal)
