Seven most expensive, spectacular pets for affluent pet lovers

The Lancelot Encore pup seems to be the most expensive dog in the world! Oops! the statement should have been made in the past tense! It was the most expensive dog at the time of its untimely death. The pup was a clone, the progeny of a late Lancelot male that was brought to existence through intense technology by a Korean company, the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation. The cloning cost seems to have gone down the drain after the pup's death.

Price: $155,000

The Storm Cat was a very famous stallion of his times. His grandson too became very famous for many reasons. Foremost among them was the fact that he is the most expensive horse to have been sold in the market! Currently standing at De Renzo's farm, nursing a spinal injury from a bad fall, the Green Monkey Horse surely took everyone's breath away with its price. It was 'flawless' in every aspect, and it mustered a third prize in its debut race itself.

Price: $16 million

Tibetan Mastiffs are known to be expensive dogs but who would have ever thought that one would sell for millions! Do-khyi, a member of this ancient domestic dog breed, is about 3-years old and weighs 180 pounds. Standing 3-feet tall, its diet is enriched with chicken, beef and exotic Chinese delicacies. The Chinese millionaire who bought him for 10 million Yuan plans to recover the amount by 'renting' him out for breeding programs!

Price: $1.6 million

Owned by a breeder in Kashgar, a six-year-old Dolan sheep has received a bid of millions of Yuan for ownership rights. The breed has always been a rare one and the expansion in China's affluent societies has seemed to spiral its price even higher. The main reason for the steep price is that there are only about 1000 such sheep left in the world. With their distinctive curved nose, twin tails and long floppy ears the sheep have become purely ornamental in their function now. Who knows, soon we may have another luxury fashion trend in wearing Dolan sheep wool!

Price: $2.2 million

When the French explorer, Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza discovered the swamp monkeys in the wetlands of Central Africa, he had no idea that his discovery would share his name and soon become a pet in the human world. What he would never have imagined is the cost of each such monkey. Apart from their cute and unique looks, the monkeys' price is due to the fact that they are extremely hard to find. Being very good at hiding, the monkeys have evaded a correct population count and that makes them prized even more.

Price: $50,000

These are the largest birds of the macaw family and are bred only in captivity. Since natural breeding is almost unknown, their prices spiral up. Not only is it difficult to impregnate the birds, they also need a lot of care in their initial years. They have to be fed a special diet which has to be prepared with temperature restrictions. Any problem in the diet leads to stunted growth of the birds. They, thus, have a high mortality rate and only a handful of people in the world have experience in breeding and raising them. No wonder, they sell for such high rates.

Price: $10,000

Lions are not traditional pets and there have been accidents reported the world over. Yet, the danger seems to add thrill to keeping it as a pet. And when the thrill comes with the beauty and cuteness of a white lion cub, it is bound to get expensive. These cubs come from South Africa and they are the result of the expression of a recessive gene. Thus, they are rare by default. Also, their unique colored coat lends itself less to hunting and more to being hunted. With less than 300 such animals in the world today, the high price-tag may go higher.

Price: $138,000