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CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE PHOTOS OF SECOND CHANCE
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Second Chance was a cloned Brahman bull calf, who was duplicated from our family pet/professional photo animal, Chance. Chance died at our ranch in 1998. When he died of natural causes at the age of 19, he had been in our possession since he was 5 years old. He served well as a gentle pet and business partner, attended family reunions, was ridden in many parades, posed for thousands of photo opportunities, was the animal movie star of "The Locust", and even appeared on "Late Night With David Letterman". He had distinct Brahman characteristics, many of which have disappeared in the general population due to selective breeding techniques.
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Because of infection, it was necessary to castrate (neuter) him at the age of 17, thus ending our attempts to obtain calves from him. So, when we heard of the cloning project started at Texas A&M University, we contacted them. We had a precise record of Chance's long life, through the thousands of photos documenting all stages of his growth, from his prime till his decline due to old age. So, a few months before his death on September 21, 1998, at the age of 19, skin cells were collected while he was at A&M, and the fundamentals of cloning him began.
Second Chance was born on August 9, 1999, to a surrogate mother branded "007". The brand on Chance was "107", so the number "seven" was lucky for him. We were allowed to see him when he was four days old, in the intensive care unit at the Large Animal Clinic, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Second Chance has been branded "C 107", exactly as Chance was branded, and is the first Brahman clone to be registered by the American Brahman Breeders' Association.
Second Chance was growing normally, and exhibited the same attitudes and physical characteristics as in his "first life". There was no doubt he had been "duplicated" and given back to us.
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