French Scientists Hopping Mad Over GM Rabbit

Last updated: 06 Oct 2000 12:09 GMT (Reuters)


PARIS (Reuters) - Like any protective parents, French scientists
have refused to give a genetically modified rabbit they created to
a Chicago artist who wants to display the animal as a work of
art.

Moreover, they deny the artist's assertion that the she-rabbit,
named Alba, is green -- although they acknowledge that she does
give off verdant hues under certain conditions.

"This rabbit is not green. Under blue light, this white rabbit's eyes
may appear slightly green and its fur may present some tinges,"
said French agricultural research institute INRA, which developed
Alba.

INRA scientists inserted a jellyfish gene into Alba when she was an
embryo. As a result, her cells glow like a jellyfish when they are
examined under a microscope in blue light, the institute said.

An INRA spokeswoman explained that the Chicago artist, Eduardo
Kac, learned about Alba during a conversation with one of the
scientists who helped develop her.

But the spokeswoman said there was no question of allowing Kac
to exhibit Alba as a kind of performance-art pet.

"He wanted to put her in a cage but that's not possible. An animal
of this type is a lab animal. You can't parade her around like
that," the spokeswoman said.

"INRA never gave that idea the green light," she added.

Note by Eduardo Kac:

Please note the following errors/corrections in the story entitled "French Scientists Hopping Mad Over GM Rabbit":

The Reuters story says:

"a Chicago artist who wants to display the animal as a work of art."

She is not a work of art herself. She is part of the "GFP Bunny" artwork, which comprises the creation of a green fluorescent rabbit, the public dialogue generated by the project, and the social integration of the rabbit.

The Reuters story says:

"Moreover, they deny the artist's assertion that the she-rabbit, named Alba, is green -- although they acknowledge that she does give off verdant hues under certain conditions."

I have never said or wrote that she is green. I always explain that she is a white albino rabbit like any other who glows with a green light only when exposed to blue light. Please look at the paper posted at my site and you'll see what I wrote.

The Reuters story says:

"(Kac) learned about Alba during a conversation with one of the scientists who helped develop her."

This is incorrect. I had conceived of "GFP Bunny" before I met the scientists. In 1998 I published a paper entitled "GFP K-9", which shows that I was already working on this project. When Louis Bec's assistant visited me in Rotterdam in June of 1999, I showed her my "GFP Bunny" proposal as my contribution to the Avignon Numerique festival (directed by Louis Bec). My proposal was based on research I had done previously, gathering information from other European labs.

The Reuters story says:

"He wanted to put her in a cage but that's not possible. An animal of this type is a lab animal. You can't parade her around like that."

This is incorrect. I never wanted to put her in a cage. I wanted to build a space at the Grenier a Sel that looked like my living room. I wanted to live with her there for one week. The public would visit us -- the two of us together. I did not -- do not -- want to parade her. All I want is for her to come home to our family, where she will live in a loving environment.

10/8/00

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