Denmark has begun exhuming the carcass of some 4 million mink culled and buried after coronavirus infection broke out amongst the farmed animals. The carcasses are exhumed to prevent the contamination of drinking water and bathing lake near the burial sites.
Denmark has culled 17 million farmed mink population last year after many farms reported SARS-CoV-2 infections among the animals. The Danish authorities decided to cull the minks to stop the mutant variant found in the animals from spreading over to humans. Both infected and healthy mink were killed alike. The small mammals are farmed for their skin and fur.
Most of the mink carcasses were burned in waste incinerators. As there were capacity issues four million mink weighing 13 million tonnes were buried in military areas in western Denmark. Some of the mink carcasses soon started poking out of the ground like zombies. As they were not buried deep enough the nitrogen and phosphorus gases produced during decomposition pushed them out of the ground.
One mass grave is located near a drinking water source and the other near a swimming lake. Worried locals complained to the authorities about water contamination and the possible health risks.
The 4 million decomposing minks that are being dug up will be burned at 13 central heating plants around Denmark by mid-July. The work costing $24.4 million began last week.
Denmark has one of the largest mink industries in the world. Mink produced in Denmark is considered to be the finest in the world. The country exports fur and mink skins to high-fashion companies and coat manufacturers.
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