Spain clones first fighting bull

Scientists in Spain say they have cloned a fighting bull for the first time.

The calf, called Got - or "glass" in Valencian - was born on Tuesday.

Project leader Vicente Torrent, a specialist in veterinary genetics, said he hoped Got would have the same fierce traits as his "father", Vasito.

He said the scientific landmark opened the way for a "tissue bank" to save critically endangered species from disappearing.

A friesian cow gave birth to Got at a ranch in Palencia province in northen Spain. He weighted 24.7kg (53lb).

Mr Torrent, from the Valencia Veterinary Research Foundation, said it had taken his team three years to find a way to preserve what he called valuable bull genes.

The budget was 28,000 euros (£24,000), he told a news conference.

Got was created using a technique known as nuclear transfer, where DNA from the sire is inserted into cows' eggs to create embryos, which are then implanted into surrogate females.

The technique is essentially the same as that used in 1996 to copy Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal.