Zombie Mink

The sad saga of Denmark's farmed mink continues (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/10/decomposing-mink-in-denmark-may-have-contaminated-groundwater). The mink were culled because a mutant version of the Covid-19 virus had arisen in them. This could potentially jeopardising the effectiveness of any vaccines developed to deal with the pandemic. There are now problems surrounding the disposal of the carcasses (31,000 tonnes of slaughtered mink, equating to circa 11 million animals). The Danes only had limited capacity for incineration, so 10,400 tonnes of carcasses were buried in 2 shallow, 2 metre pits in West Jutland. Shockingly, some of the carcasses are reportedly, filling with gases as they decompose, and emerging from the soil. There is also a serious concern that ground waters in that area may become contaminated. In addition, some 4700 tonnes (about 1.5 million bodies) are unaccounted for. Not even the Danish Veterinary and Food Authority knows where they are.