Mink are latest animals to contract COVID-19
India TV NewsMink have contracted coronavirus, adding to the list of animals known to be at risk of catching the virus. Animal rights organisation Peta has written a letter to ministers calling for the farms to be shut down immediately: "Allowing mink farms to maintain business as usual for nearly four more years - in the face of a global crisis stemming from animal exploitation - would be inexcusable from the perspective of both the risk posed to humans and the harm inflicted on the mink themselves." Animal protection charity Humane Society International, which campaigns for a global end to the fur trade, has warned of the risk in other countries, where tens of millions of mink, fox, raccoon dogs, chinchillas and rabbits are farmed. A spokesperson for the British Fur Trade Association said: "The case in the Netherlands demonstrates the efficiency of fur farming bio security measures in Europe and the rigorous controls that are in place. According to a 2016 report released by the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 75% of China's wildlife trade is dominated by fur production with animals farmed for their fur, such as raccoon dogs, foxes and mink, often ending up at wildlife wet market.