COVID-19 and the wild mink, explained by a WVU wildlife expert
Recently the secretive mink has become a hot topic in COVID-19 headlines. SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) was detected in farmed mink in several countries including the United States. A wild mink tested positive near a farmed mink facility in Utah. While the mink, a mammal similar to weasels and river otters, is prevalent in the Mountain State, Sheldon Owen, wildlife specialist at the West Virginia University Extension Service, says there’s no need for alarm.