Thousands of minks dead in COVID-19 outbreak on Utah farms

[TomCADem]

COVID is not a blessing. You are not going to be able to ignore it and survive through the power of positive thinking and watching a Tim Robbins video.

https://kutv.com/news/local/thousands-of-minks-dead-in-covid-19-outbreak-on-utah-farms

Thousands of minks at Utah fur farms have died because of the coronavirus in the past 10 days, forcing nine sites in three counties to quarantine, but the state veterinarian said people don’t appear to be at risk from the outbreak.

The COVID-19 infections likely were spread from workers at the mink ranches to the animals, with no sign so far that the animals are spreading it to humans, said Dr. Dean Taylor, the state veterinarian, who is investigating the outbreak.

“We genuinely don’t feel like there is much of a risk going from the mink to the people,” he said.

Between 7,000 and 8,000 minks have died since the disease swept through the ranches that produce the animals, valued for their luxurious pelts. So far, no animals in Utah have been euthanized because of the disease, and it doesn’t appear to be necessary, Taylor said.

[Thekaspervote]

1. Poor little creatures! Damn idiots that participate in the fur trade!

[Rhiannon12866]

2. "Fur Farms" are bad enough

Poor little animals.

[StarryNite]

3. Geez

It just keeps getting worse and worse.

[7wo7rees]

4. It's been going on for a while......

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/17/spain-to-cull-nearly-100000-mink-in-coronavirus-outbreak

A million mink culled in Netherlands and Spain amid Covid-19 fur farming havoc
Agriculture minister says origins of outbreak unclear after seven farm workers – and 87% of the mink – test positive

17 Jul 2020 06.09 EDT

Spain has ordered the culling of nearly 100,000 mink on a farm and an estimated one million mink have already been culled on Dutch fur farms, as coronavirus wreaks havoc in the European fur farming industry.

Joaquin Olona, agriculture minister for the north-eastern Aragon region, said the cull would involve the slaughter of 92,700 mink which are prized for their pelts.

[Maru Kitteh]

5. I hope the assholes participating in "farming" them lose everything they own.

yes I do

[EarthFirst]

6. "We genuinely don't feel like there is much of a risk going from the mink to the people,"

In other words; keep an eye on this one...

[Hugin]

9. I don't see how transmission couldn't go people -- mink -- people.

Other than not many people are around the mink farms.

[Backseat Driver]

7. Awwww - poor furry caged critters!...just another kind of probably pampered

pup mills until they suffered mankind's CoVid-19, huh...insured, I'd expect - still, SMH.

[DFW]

8. A viral one way street?

The COVID-19 infections likely were spread from workers at the mink ranches to the animals, with no sign so far that the animals are spreading it to humans, said Dr. Dean Taylor, the state veterinarian, who is investigating the outbreak.

“We genuinely don’t feel like there is much of a risk going from the mink to the people,” he said.
-------------------------------------------
So, we can pass it to mink, but they can't pass it back? Why not, if they got it from humans in the first place?

[Larissa]

10. Bronx Zoo: Big Cats Infected

When I read the news article regarding the mass mink COVID-19 infection, I remembered the report about a big cat Bengal tiger that was infected with COVID-19 at the Bronx Zoo in New York. Altogether, eight big cats at the Zoo tested positive. It appears that an asymptomatic employee was the source of the infection. I would assume that all zoo employees that routinely come in contact with the animals (mammals) are now wearing masks.

Eight Bronx Zoo Cats have Tested Positive for the Coronavirus
https://www.thecut.com/2020/04/eight-bronx-zoo-big-cats-have-tested-positive-for-coronavirus.html

cnn.com: Bronx Zoo Cats test Positive
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/23/us/bronx-zoo-cats-positive-coronavirus-trnd/index.html