Squirming For Ermine?

Ermine (the winter coat of the Short-tailed weasel Mustela erminea) is a status symbol of the UK aristocracy and a relative of the Mink (Mustela vison). All Mustellids (badgers, stoats, weasels, mink, ferrets and polecats) appear very susceptible to infection by the Covid-19 virus. This is especially so, when such animals are 'farmed' (they are then crowded and have close contact with handlers). There was great concern when a mutant strain (cluster 5) of Sars-CoV-2 was identified in farmed Danish mink, especially when this was passed to human handlers in the North of the country. The concern was that this variant might negate the vaccine development to treat the form of Covid-19 infecting most humans. After a great deal of fuss, the 17 million mink in Denmark were culled, on human health grounds (https://www.rt.com/news/507188-denmark-extinct-mink-covid19-strain/). As the Danish government apparently didn't have the legal authority to order the cull, the Food and Agriculture Minister has resigned. It has now been stated that cluster 5 may be extinct. It has not been recorded in Danes since September 15th (if so, that might be a close shave). Mutant strains of the Covid-19 virus have also been found, however, in mink in the Faroe Islands, the Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland and the USA. Culls are also being carried out in some (not all) of these countries. Mink farming may well pose a danger to any attempt to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. It might be an idea to dispense with it entirely?