A Mink in Utah is the First Known Case of the Coronavirus in a wild Animal

 

There is no evidence of widespread transmission among wild animals

A wild American mink in Utah has tested positive for the coronavirus — the first wild animal found to be infected with the virus, researchers say.  

The wild mink was infected with a variant of the coronavirus that was “indistinguishable” from viruses taken from nearby farmed minks, researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture wrote in a Dec. 13 report. That suggests that the wild mink acquired the infection from farmed animals. It’s not clear if the animal was alive or dead at the time of testing.

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Virus Renews Safety Concerns About Slaughtering Wild Animals

BEIJING (AP) — China cracked down on the sale of exotic species after an outbreak of a new virus in 2002 was linked to markets selling live animals. The germ turned out to be a coronavirus that caused SARS.

The ban was later lifted, and the animals reappeared. Now another coronavirus is spreading through China, so far killing 1,380 people and sickening more than 64,000 — eight times the number sickened by SARS.

The suspected origin? The same type of market.

With more than 60 million people under lockdown in more than a dozen Chinese cities, the new outbreak is prompting calls to permanently ban the sale of wildlife, which many say is being fueled by a limited group of wealthy people who consider the animals delicacies. The spreading illness also serves as a grim reminder that how animals are handled anywhere can endanger people everywhere.

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A Bear Was Shot and Killed Thursday Morning After a Woman in Frederick, Maryland Was Attacked

Frederick, Maryland - A bear was shot and killed Thursday morning after a woman in Frederick, Maryland was attacked the evening before, the Department of Natural Resources confirmed.

According to officials, around 9:30 p.m. 63-year-old Karen Osborne was walking to her son-in-law's house next door to check on their dog that was barking when she was attacked by the bear on Irongate Lane, in between Baltimore National Pike and Shookstown Road. It appears the woman got in between the bear her cubs. The bear weighed 200 pounds.

"It was not a bear that was sort of laying in wait for the homeowner. The best we can tell is she went down a dark driveway with a dog. There was another dog in the driveway off leash and the sow had her cubs there and she reacted to what she believed was a threat."

Police reported, Osborne suffered a broken arm, cuts to her head, and puncture wounds to both arms.

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Rescued From the Illegal Exotic Pet Trade, Vish the Sloth Gets a Happy Ending

Vish is a three-month-old sloth who was confiscated by Peruvian authorities when he was found being kept (illegally) as a pet in the city of Tarapoto in the Amazon region of San Martin. Sloths are extremely sensitive wild animals that should never be kept as pets, but the illegal wildlife trade is rife in the area.

Illegal markets act as a conduit for both live and dead animals captured from the forests. Monkeys, coatis and birds are common victims of the exotic pet trade in Peru. Tragically, these babies are often tied up next to the carcasses of their dead family members whose bodies will be sold as “bushmeat.” Many are not even weaned and are too young to survive without their mothers.

To read more on this story, click here: Rescued From the Illegal Exotic Pet Trade, Vish the Sloth Gets a Happy Ending