American scientists recently announced the first cloning of an endangered animal native to the United States. A black-footed ferret was created from the cells of an animal that died over 30 years ago. Officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the ferret, named Elizabeth Ann, was born December 10. She is a genetic reproduction of a black-footed ferret named Willa who died in 1988. Willa’s remains were frozen in the early days of genetic technology. Such use of cloning aims to one day bring back animal species that have died out. The black-footed ferret project is part of a wider effort to build up the population of the endangered animal.