Denmark halts plan to cull 17 million mink over coronavirus infections

[admin]

Some still argue that culling would be best for public health and animal welfare.

Denmark halts plan to cull 17 million mink over coronavirus infections : Read more

 

[Chem721]

This is a very bad decision to reverse the culling. They need to eliminate all mink farms from the planet. The virus should not be allowed to spread among millions of mink, and all the time reinfecting people. While some other animals have been infected with Covid-19, mink are the only animals known so far to reinfect humans. And there are many mink farms around the world. Mixing viruses between various animals is very bad news. We do not want to go there.

While there is no evidence that the recent mutation (cluster 5 variant, see ref. below) will render vaccines under development obsolete, the inter-species transfer and replication of this virus offers a greater risk for vaccine evasion, and the development of more lethal strains. As the data has shown, mink are a source for new mutations (the last thing we need), and also a reservoir to continue infecting people.

Let us hope that a variant does not develop that infects a major food source, like pork or chicken. People don't need mink coats. Many of us, however, remain dedicated carnivores (true to our evolutionary traits).

It should be appreciated that global efforts are being made to sequence the virus in many humans in order to monitor its mutations in people, and now this cluster 5 mutation from mink will likely get close scrutiny to see if it takes hold in Europe's people (or elsewhere).



Mink and the Coronavirus: What We Know (10 November, 2020)

Mink and the Coronavirus: What We Know

Mink are the only animal known to both catch the virus from people and transmit it to them.

www.nytimes.com

 

[abby123]

While I definitely agree with you... If you think about it we also need what's called mink oil and that's in a lot of things that we need as well such as leather, shoes, hair-conditioner (which i know sounds weird, but its true), and also types of lotions. So I do understand that we need to stay safe but there are different things on different sides of stories!

 

[Chem721]

If you think about it we also need what's called mink oil

It seems likely that a synthetic version of mink oil could be made, and most would not know the difference.

Or you can find a natural source for the ingredients*, so it is a more natural fake mink oil, if you will allow such a definition. There seems little doubt that a stable, acceptable formula could be obtained, and allow all those millions of mink threats to disappear.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mink_oil