Denmark - Mink Cull A Disaster Around Every Corner

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55101058

A few weeks back, I reported on a story from Denmark regarding minks throughout the country becoming infected with the coronavirus. The minks were then found to have mutated forms of the virus that were transmittable back to humans. This mutated form of the virus would make vaccination difficult and spread rapidly through the roughly 1, 100 mink fur farms around the country. Knowing how potentially dangerous this situation could become, the Danish Government made a rushed decision to cull all 17 million mink on fur farms throughout the country. This rushed and poorly planned out cull of minks has proven to be a disaster around every corner, and countries like the United States and Canada who've also seen mink fur farm outbreaks should take note of the disaster that has ensued.

Firstly, there was no Environmental Impact Assessment conducted which would have likely made it clear that this rushed, mass cull & burial was not an environmentally sound idea. Secondly, the two sites chosen to bury the nearly 10, 000 tons of dead mink were extremely close to both a bathing lake and a source of drinking water. One can assume that both of these locations put humans at risk of serious contamination and the ecosystem in these places in jeopardy as well. Lastly, the shallow graves dug to take on all of these carcasses were so shallow that reports are now saying that the gas buildup from all of the dead mink is pushing them up through the graves, a site that is both horrific & indicative of mistakes that were made.

It is abundantly clear that this rushed decision was made without the proper steps to analyze whether this was an environmentally sound idea. Now, as bodies push their way through graves, Danish officials must now address their mistakes and look to dispose of the mink in a more environmentally responsible way. If this had been handled appropriately the first time, there would be no need to exhume 10, 000 tons of carcasses only to dispose of them once again. As you can see, there were mistakes and mishandlings of this situation around every corner. As the United States and Canada report outbreaks of coronavirus on mink fur farms, it is imperative that we learn from these mistakes but also address the root cause of these outbreaks, the cruel and exploitative fur farming industry.

The reason diseases and virus' spread through these facilities is because of the abhorrent conditions these animals are kept in. First of all, they are densely crammed together making the spread of a virus incredibly effective and swift. Secondly, various reports and investigations have turned up images of minks covered in their own urine and feces, some riddled with blisters or rashes without veterinary care. Hygiene plays a big part in the spread of virus' and it's obvious that hygiene is not the first priority on these fur farms. Lastly, mink have proven to be incredibly susceptible to virus' and diseases, and yet we continue to farm them for their fur without regard for the disastrous outcomes that could ensue. 

We don't need any more signs or signals that we must end the cruel practice of mink fur farming. Hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue were lost in Denmark. Tens of millions of innocent mink were abruptly slaughtered and improperly disposed of leading to environmental and economic setbacks. The coronavirus mutated in minks making it especially dangerous if passed back to humans. These are all very telling signs that we must not continue to ignore. Mink fur farming is unsafe, unhygienic, and rooted in exploitative cruelty that has now turned on us. If we don't take this opportunity to stop mink fur farming, this will not be the last time we witness these sorts of mass culling / superspreader events and it will be entirely our own fault.

Our selfishness will put us in this position again if we do not recognize our grievous errors and end our commitment to mink fur farming across the globe.

HAPPY VEG