Into the wild: Animals the latest frontier in COVID fight
Source: Associated Press, via the Roanoke Times
SPECIAL REPORT * SPOTLIGHT * AP
Into the wild: Animals the latest frontier in COVID fight
By LAURA UNGAR, AP Science Writer 1 hr ago
GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. (AP) To administer this COVID test, Todd Kautz had to lay on his belly in the snow and worm his upper body into the narrow den of a hibernating black bear. Training a light on its snout, Kautz carefully slipped a long cotton swab into the bear's nostrils five times. (1)
For postdoctoral researcher Kautz and a team of other wildlife experts, tracking the coronavirus means freezing temperatures, icy roads, trudging through deep snow and getting uncomfortably close to potentially dangerous wildlife.
They're testing bears, moose, deer and wolves on a Native American reservation in the remote north woods about 5 miles from Canada. Like researchers around the world, they are trying to figure out how, how much and where wildlife is spreading the virus.
Scientists are concerned that the virus could evolve within animal populations potentially spawning dangerous viral mutants that could jump back to people, spread among us and reignite what for now seems to some people like a waning crisis.
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Read more: https://roanoke.com/news/national/into-the-wild-animals-the-latest-frontier-in-covid-fight/article_dbfe432d-2b69-5472-a6b4-bddb24d14471.html
(1) I'm sure she meant to say "lie on his belly."
IronLionZion
(45,252 posts)but the next pandemic could start in rural areas. Wild hogs are a problem in many places. They get into all sorts of stuff and people eat them.
geardaddy
(24,924 posts)I never thought about how the wildlife might be affected by Covid-19.
sybylla
(8,461 posts)Which is a fabulous breeding ground offering a direct to human transfer option during hunting season. Forever.
But everything is just freaking fine.
https://www.weau.com/2022/02/10/study-finds-first-transmission-covid-wild-white-tail-deer/
I initially stated it had been found in Wisconsin, but our DNR did not participate in the initial study and is still waiting for all results on samples taken during our hunting season in November.
RobinA
(9,874 posts)had an article in the magazine a couple months ago about COVID in mink. Apparently they are VERY susceptible and when in mink farms (more in Europe than here) are not law abiding citizens and tend to make an escape whenever possible. Which is frequently. They then go on to mix with the local wild population, and the rest is obvious.
IcyPeas
(21,737 posts)just when we're gaining control of the virus (I thought). I would hate to see animals dying because of this.