Covid and mink

Recently around 17million mink from fur farms have been slaughtered in the Netherlands. The mink caught covid from farm workers and due to the conditions and the shear number of minks that are kept, the virus swept through them and has mutated, then passed back to humans. It has obviously caused concern, but what shocked me was the incredible number of fur farms that still existed!! I have become complacent in my middle age.. my days of standing outside shops who sold furs demonstrating against this awful trade have long gone..
It is absolutely heartbreaking that this is such a huge industry still, the Dutch courts have confirmed the ban on fur farms as a result and not before time( apparently this was due to come in in 2024). A small victory for all those millions of mink sacrificed in the Netherlands anyway.. Cases of this mutation have also been found in Swedish and Italian fur farms, so I'm imagining probably millions more mink are due to be slaughtered over the next while, I just pray it is done humanely.
I can only hope more and more countries will now follow suit and the fur industry will finally be banned altogether as a consequence.
For me personally, as I have ferrets, it is a worry.. I have always known these amazing creatures can catch human flu's, they are sadly used in research as a consequence too. We are always careful around them, just incase. And, as a footnote I would like to add that if our government ever decides all ferrets should be culled to prevent the possibility of this mutation over here, it will be over my dead body and I will as sure as hell take anybody who tries to take my boys down with me!! Just saying...

 

@AGonline yes I am aware that with the mink the mutation happened due to the shear number as you said.. I was just being mildly dramatic!! Ferrets can catch human flu strains but it is very unlikely to mutate when I only have 3 of the little buggers in my home..I'm actually more worried about our government(going by their recent track record in dealing with all this) having some weird knee jerk reaction in trying to prevent even the possibility..oops here I go again!! But thankyou...