Denmark to cull up to 17 million mink due to coronavirus mutation

[Redolent]

As many as 17 million minks are to be culled in Denmark after a mutated version of the coronavirus that can spread to humans was detected on mink farms.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the mutated virus posed a "risk to the effectiveness" of a future Covid-19 vaccine.

Denmark is the world's biggest producer of mink fur. Police said the culling should happen as soon as possible.

Coronavirus cases have been detected in mink farms in Denmark's northern Jutland region, and in other parts of Europe, for several months.
But cases are spreading fast in Denmark, and five cases of the new virus strain were found on mink farms. Twelve people had become infected, the authorities said.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-54818615

Those poor animals and their fate either way.

Surely a priority should be to stop outbound travel from Denmark until this is under control? 12 confirmed infected who have been quarantined, but there could be many more unconfirmed cases. No point culling all mink if the mutated virus is going to do the rounds around the world.

Omg. Cull away.

Holy Christ. It's a farm, they're all going to die anyway. Time to do it and shut down business (permanently I hope). Why the fuck is this still going on?

Sounds like everyone needs to kill all the minks on farms. Everywhere. Then stop bloody farming minks.

I think culling the mink is the only thing they can do at this stage to stop the mutated virus in its tracks. I know what you mean about people already having it but it’s a small number of people and they should be able to effectively isolate that amount of people and stop the mutated strain spreading any further. The world is in a sorry state as it is without ‘known’ mutated covid-19 strains.

Poor things. At least they will be put out of their misery younger. Time to stop exploiting them for fur.

If you google it seems to have already happened in Denmark previously and in Spain etc

It's one angle that doesn't receive much attention

The original animal reservoir was never found.

We do not know where this coronavirus or its closest cousins might be found in other species.

Or where/how coronaviruses might jump between species in future.

Maybe it came from mink? Wasnt a centre of the outbreak based around chinese workers in italy, working on 'leather'/the clothing trade? Is italy where these furs end up perhaps?

I'm not sure it makes it worse they're foing it for the virus. The whole thing should be banned. I'd have thought the EU had stricter rules and banned keeping animals for fur. It surely did in some countries .

What an awful species we are. 12 humans infected so let’s kill 17 million mink.

This virus mutates anyway so not sure I see the point.

I think the humans are awful for farming for pelts.

Those mink were going until to be killed anyhow - either once full grown for their fur, or after their breeding span is over.

Why can't we just leave these poor animals alone.

Indeed. What next? Chickens?

Cull them and shut down the farm forever.
12 people already infected with this mutation. Geez.
Is the mutation worse? More fatal?

Argh

I thought mutations of viruses were weaker?

Really? Hope so but i hadnt read or heard that

If they are being farmed to be killed for their fur then killing them a bit earlier due to a potential virus cross over seems no less cruel.

Either you agree with animals being bred for fur or not. The virus (in this case) doesn't make much difference to the reason they were bred.

I know nothing about minks, but I read early on the reason bats are so problematic is because their immune systems are very effective. They ‘challenge’ the virus to mutate in a more and more deadly way. Or at least that was my understanding.

If this is true of mink too, I understand the need to cull.

Humans are disgusting - have you seen the small cages the animals are kept in all their lives? So much cruelty for unnecessary items of clothing.
The mink will be better off culled than alive.

Jesus Christ - I'm upset to find that they're still breeding animals for their fur!

I thought we might have moved on in our 'civilisation' but it appears not.

- Humans need to get with the program and stop being cruel to other species.

But who actually wears this fur in this day and age anyway?

Leaving aside the issue of fur, which I strongly disagree with -
This strain of Covid is less responsive to a vaccine. If it gets out it will basically render all vaccine attempts null and void. It would be a global disaster and Denmark should be closing their borders until it’s eliminated.

@DenimDrift

I thought mutations of viruses were weaker?

Mutations can go in any direction at all - they’re random.

If a virus kills its victims very fast and makes them very sick then this may limit its spread. So a mutation which makes it less lethal will be more likely to spread and eventually become dominant. This is why there’s a general assumption that “viruses tend to become weaker over time” because there’s sometimes a selective pressure that way.

However Covid 19 already has a low mortality rate, and, crucially, it spreads well in the long pre-symptomatic period, so there won’t be a strong selective pressure to favour less severe mutations.

This is another wake up call that our cruel farming practices and treatment of animals - from Wuhan to Denmark - will continue to inflict more viruses on humanity. This won’t be the last one anytime soon until we did this issue.

@TigerBrite

Leaving aside the issue of fur, which I strongly disagree with - This strain of Covid is less responsive to a vaccine. If it gets out it will basically render all vaccine attempts null and void. It would be a global disaster and Denmark should be closing their borders until it’s eliminated.

Agreed. But I haven’t a seen a mention anywhere of Denmark doing this?