China has for the first time successfully cloned 10 yaks in a single batch, marking a major breakthrough in livestock breeding technology, according to an announcement made on Monday in Damxung County, Lhasa, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.

The achievement was made using a domestically developed breeding system that combines whole-genome selection with somatic cell cloning, following three years of research by a Chinese scientific team.

Between March 25 and April 5 this year, a second batch of cloned yaks resulted in 10 successful pregnancies, all of which were naturally delivered. Researchers said the result demonstrated the technology's potential for large-scale industrial application.

The breakthrough follows the birth of the world's first cloned yak on July 10, 2025. Named "Namco 1#," the animal weighed 16.75 kilograms at birth and reached 183.25 kilograms at 286 days old.

Yak farming is one of the key industries targeted for development in Xizang during the country's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). Traditional yak breeding has relied on phenotype selection, a process that can take up to 20 years and often leads to declining genetic quality.

Researchers said the new method can shorten the breeding cycle to less than five years by accurately identifying desirable genetic traits such as faster growth, disease resistance, feed efficiency and adaptation to high-altitude, low-oxygen environments, while enabling rapid replication of elite breeding stock.

Experts added that the technology could also support conservation efforts for rare yak genetic resources, including the endangered golden wild yak, whose population in Xizang is estimated at more than 300.

So far, the research team has developed more than 200 cloned embryos of golden wild yaks and hybrid wild-blood yaks, laying the groundwork for future embryo transfer and species recovery programs.