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Not the Minks! 17 Million Are About to be Killed Because of Covid.
Denmark is defending its decision to kill millions of minks out of fears of a mutated coronavirus strain.
Over 50 million mink a year are bred for their fur. Leaders include China, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Poland. There have been Covid-19 outbreaks in fur farms in the Netherlands, Denmark, Spain, and Sweden. In the USA, almost 10,000 minks at nine fur farms in Utah have died of Covid-19. A quarantine of the affected farms followed.
Today we’ll look at an unfolding tragedy that results from the intersection of the Covid-19 virus and minks. Minks and their close relatives, ferrets, can get coronavirus. Like their human counterparts, these animals can exhibit a range of symptoms: Some have no symptoms, while others have severe problems (such as pneumonia). Of approximately 300 mink farms in Denmark, 216 have experienced Covid-19 outbreaks.
After finding a mutated coronavirus strain, Danish leaders announced strict new lockdown measures in its morning counties (the location of most mink farms). Thus far, twelve individuals are known to have the infection, but the number will likely rise. Here is what Denmark’s Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod volunteered during a press conference:
