ARCHIVED - Coronavirus found in two dead wild mink in the province of Castellón, Valencia region

The mink from the Mijares and Palancia rivers were found on the border of Teruel and Castellón

The regional department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition has reported that Covid-19 has been detected in two dead wild American minks in the province of Castellon.

The two cases were detected in minks from the Mijares and Palancia rivers found along the border of Castellón with Teruel, which is where the only population of this species in the wild in the Comunidad Valenciana is located.

The protocol for the control and eradication of this invasive species, which has been in place since 2004, allowed technical personnel to detect the presence of coronavirus in the animals, but representatives from the department have guaranteed that there is no risk of transmission to humans despite the fact that such infections are known to have occurred in previous contagious episodes.

However, despite these claims, the Department of Natural Environment has temporarily suspended the capture of these animals by trapping as a precaution to ensure the safety of the personnel in charge of this activity.

According to the department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Climate Emergency and Ecological Transition it is important to collect all the information and confirm the results of laboratory analyses in order to evaluate the risk and determine the necessary security measures.

The department of Agriculture has reported these cases to the regional ministry of Health, who in turn have passed them on to the Coordination Centre for Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES), dependent on the national Ministry of Health.

Millions of mink have been slaughtered in commercial fur farms in not only Spain, but all over europe, after it was discovered that not only are mink susceptible to Coronavirus contagion from humans, but can also transmit the virus back to humans.

In Denmark the virus mutated during this transmission, leading to the culling of over 10 million mink.

Mink are farmed commercially in Spain and there have already been outbreaks at mink farms in Galicia and Aragón.