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COVID Outbreaks on Mink Farms Threaten Animals and People:
Urge Congress to Act

Dear John,

COVID-19 has not only hit humanity hard; it has also devastated mink confined on fur farms across the globe; millions have died of the virus or been culled. In some European countries, mutated forms of the virus that incubated among these farmed mink populations have reportedly jumped back to humans. Closer to home, COVID-19 outbreaks have been confirmed on mink farms in Michigan, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin, infecting and killing tens of thousands of animals and even spreading to at least one wild mink.

Mink farms pack animals into crowded, filthy environments that create an ideal setting for pathogens to circulate among and across species. Wire cages are crammed together and may be stacked on top of each other so that urine and excrement falls on the animals below. The close quarters and stressful conditions cause mink to become immunocompromised, making them more susceptible to infection. Such conditions also exact a severe psychological toll, leading to destructive behaviors such as bar-biting, self-mutilation, aggression, cannibalism, and infanticide. The absence of legally mandated veterinary care only compounds these problems.

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What You Can Do
This alarming situation should spur a federal response, and members of Congress need to hear from you if they are going to act quickly to introduce legislation. Please contact your federal lawmakers ([link removed]) and express your concern for both mink welfare and public health.

Be sure to share our alert with family, friends, and co-workers, and encourage them to write to their members of Congress, too. Thank you for all you do for animals!

Sincerely,

Cathy Liss
President

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Photo by JoAnne McArthur

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Animal Welfare Institute
900 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003
(202) 337-2332 | www.awionline.org ([link removed])

The Animal Welfare Institute is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 1951 and dedicated to reducing animal suffering caused by people. We seek better treatment of animals everywhere: in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild.

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