Around two weeks ago in the Netherlands, two fur farms reported Mink (Neovison vison) infected with Covid-19. Farmers at the facility caught the virus but are now safe in quarantine.
This is now adding to the ever-expanding list of animals known to be able to contract the virus which even includes lions and tigers.
In a new case, lions and tigers from the New York Zoo caught the disease from their keepers.
This evidence shows that this deadly virus can spread between humans and animals, threatening endangered animals even more.
To keep the virus from spreading, we need to keep the interactions between wild animals and humans to a minimum. Some animals that can catch the virus include horseshoe bats, red foxes, wild boar and possibly even domestic cats and dogs.
This means that there needs to be tougher regulations surrounding the wildlife trade as well as regulations to keep our ecosystems safe where human interaction is necessary.
The potential of this virus spreading is another reason to back up the closure of all fur farms.
Many governments say that the one lesson (if any) we take away from this pandemic is that we cannot keep pushing animals to the limits of their endurance for our own needs, without expecting to see some sort of backlash.
By Daisy S