Minks, Killed Due to Strains of Coronavirus, Rise from the Grave in Denmark

Disaster In Denmark As Covid-19 Mutation Detected On Mink Farms

(Photo : Photo by Ole Jensen/Getty Images)
BORDING, DENMARK NOVEMBER 07: (EDITORS NOTE: Image contains death) A conveyor belt drops culled mink into a large container on November 7, 2020 in Bording, Denmark. Like many other owners of mink farms, Stig Sørensen has been forced to cull all his 34.000 minks due to a government decision made on Wednesday. Sørensen says that he is sad but also angry because he feels that the government has made an unjustified and unfair decision. His farm is situated so only part of it is within the 7.5 KM zone from an infected farm and none of his mink have tested positive for the coronavirus. Even so, they are regarded as infected and must all be culled. He also feels that he and his colleagues have been let down by the Danish Government, both in terms of handling the culling and slow information about how they will be compensated. He and most in the industry are demanding compensation according to the rules of expropriation, but Sørensen says that so far the government has talked about compensation per culled mink to a price per skin based on farmers’ average price in 2017 and 2018, which was an all-time low. Denmark, the world's largest mink fur producer, is to mass cull some 16 -17 million minks after mutated forms of coronavirus spread to humans. Some 215 mink farms in Jutland region are infected with this type of coronavirus, and therefore a regional lockdown has been announced to curb the infection.

DENMARK - After thousands were culled in Denmark earlier this month, minks infected with a mutated strain of the novel coronavirus appeared to rise from the grave this week.

The discovery prompted the decision to kill the animals that 11 individuals had been infected by a similar strain of the virus, found in many mink factories and farms.

However, Danish authorities reported on Thursday that in the haste of disposing of the bodies, some of the carcasses had risen to the surface of the makeshift graves due to the gases that built up inside the decomposing bodies.

The said corpses were buried in the area of military training fields, located outside the town of Holstebro.

According to a source, the dead bodies were laid in trenches, which is just over 8 feet deep and 10 feet wide, wherein the first meter of dead mink was covered with chalk before adding another layer under the dirt.

According to CBS News, based on the standards, dead minks should have been covered by at least 5 feet of soil. However, they were buried by just an estimated 3 feet deep and situated near a lake, prompting some environmental concerns that the move can cause possible pollution in the future.

Based on the leaders, authorities will monitor the gravesite until a fence can be put up in the area.

Environment officials have promised to fix the current situation as they made sure that sare of the 'zombie' mink were reburied elsewhere.

USA Today also reported that many mayors have suggested that cremation should be done to the mink corpses.

The world's largest exporter of mink fur, Denmark, announced in early November through their Parliament that they would cull all of the country's not less than 15 million mink. After discovering a mutated version of the novel coronavirus, they believed that it would jeopardize the effectiveness of future vaccines.

Despite the country being the largest exporter of mink fur globally, authorities have imposed the banning of all mink farming until the end of next year.

The government, which is currently in the middle of a political crisis, concluded last week that the potential threat to human vaccines was very likely extinguished due to the absence of any new cases of the mutated version of the virus.

According to the latest numbers gathered, the record shows that more than 10 million mink have already been culled in the Scandinavian country.

Based on the information taken from the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, Denmark currently has reported not less than 74,700 cases and more than 800 deaths tallied.

Despite the authorities' information that there is no risk from the said graves, locals are still worried about the possible contamination of their water for drinking and bathing, especially those within 200 meters away, Reuters reported.

Also from HNGN:

North Carolina Closes 3 Prisons, Moves Inmates Due to Surge in COVID-19 Cases