On Apr. 1, 2003, the birth of a cloned banteng from a surrogate mother cow was announced by scientists at Advanced Cell Technology, now Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine, of Worcester, Mass. Bantengs, or Bali cattle (Bos javanicus), have been hunted for their slender, curved horns and now number fewer than 8,000 in the wild, mostly scattered in small herds on the island of Java.

The first cloning project was the result of a collaboration between Advanced Cell Technology, the San Diego Zoo, Iowa State University and Trans Ova Genetics.