11-11-20
Essay 3 Analytical Synthesis
Word count: 1308
The Mink Massacre
The coronavirus has transformed our modern world, impacting lives of humans and
animals alike. It has encroached on our lives and pushed us to take actions in favor of our own
human interest. For example, in Denmark, minks have contracted COVID-19 from humans. It
has mutated inside of them, and humans are taking action to prevent the spread of the
transformed virus, which could interfere with a vaccine. Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen,
announced on October 28th, 2020 that about 17 million minks in more than one thousand farms
will be culled. Denmark has been a crucial part of the $33 billion dollar fur industry: it was the
world’s top producer of mink pelts, but they will now suffer greatly from this decision. The
articles, “Denmark Will Kill All Farmed Mink, Citing Coronavirus Infections,” from the New
York Times and “Danish Covid Mink Cull and Future Disease Fears Will Kill Fur Trade,” from
the Guardian both have different views on the extermination of the minks. Though both James
Gorman (NYT) and Sophie Kevany (The Guardian) show concern about the fur trade, Gorman is
in favor of the killings, while Kevany is against it. Gorman argues that the minks should be
killed, and farmers should find another occupation; however, Kevany focuses on the negative
effects of this on the fur trade and worries about the cruelty of these massacres.
The two articles inform the audience about the culling of minks due to their contraction
of COVID-19. The article, “Denmark Will Kill All Farmed Mink, Citing Coronavirus
Infections,” is written by James Gorman, a science writer for the New York Times. Though there
is no solid evidence that the mutation will increase virulence, people are still concerned about
what the mutation can mean for humans. The danger of the evolved virus is ambiguous, which is
distressing to scientists, which is pushing them to take action against the virus. The article
“Danish Covid Mink Cull and Future Disease Fears Will Kill Fur Trade,” talks about the
mutation, but focuses more on the fur trade and the animals themselves. The author of this article
is Sophie Kevany, a freelance journalist who has previously written about environmentalism.
The article was written to inform readers about the negative outcomes of the culling of the
minks, such as the end of the mink fur trade, and how this is affecting the lives of farmers.
Both of the articles agree that the culling of the minks will result in the end of the mink
fur industry, but Gorman does not reject the idea that millions of minks should be killed. Though
his article is educational, Gorman uses quotes from Animal Protection Denmark that are clearly
biased in favor of the killing of the minks. For example, he includes this statement from the
advocacy group: “The right decision would be to end mink farming entirely and help farmers
into other occupations that do not jeopardize public health.” Though the deaths of millions of
minks will result in the end of the farmers’ occupations, he does not explicitly say that this
should be prevented. Instead, the farmers should simply find another job. The article describes
this situation as “right” to justify the mass killing of the animals. Additionally, the article states
that the farmers’ current occupation is “jeopardizing,” or endangering public health, which
implies that mink farms are currently a problem and must be taken care of regardless of the
farmers’ career. Gorman overlooks the farmers and focuses solely on tending to the infected
mink situation. It seems as though Gorman is trying to appeal to an audience that is more
directed by logic than emotions. On the other hand, Kevany entices a more sentimental audience.
She delves deep into the personal lives of farmers and the cruelty of the situation.
In the article “Danish Covid Mink Cull and Future Disease Fears Will Kill Fur Trade,”
Kevany indicates that she is against the mass killings. Kevany focuses more on the fatalistic
effects of the fur trade, whereas Gorman disregards them. She includes a quote from a mink
farmer, John Papsø, who has more than 30,000 minks on his farm. The article states “Papsø said
the restrictions are likely to shut down the sector. He said, ‘it’s 99% certain the industry will not
come back from this despite the fact that Denmark’s mink quality can earn farmers a 40%
premium compared with other countries.”’ The culling of the minks will end an economically
profitable industry. Though the mink business is treasured, the coronavirus is driving people to
terminate it. Furthermore, she even begins the article with “John Papsø was devastated,” and
includes a quote from him: “It’s horrible. I’m not even sure it’s dawned on me how grave the
consequences will be for us… I’ve been pacing up and down the floor, and I’ve cried.” Kevany
is using pathos to connect to the reader. She includes personal accounts of the farmers and their
business, so we are able to see them as people, instead of those who are just hosting the
pestiferous minks. We are able to develop a sense of sympathy for Papsø and the rest of the mink
farmers. Gorman does not touch on their personal accounts at all, nor does he mention individual
farmers. He broadly speaks about the fur trade and their industry instead. Additionally, Kevany
also uses pathos by placing an emphasis on the cruelty of the cull process.
Kevany argues that the culling of the minks is ethically wrong. The minks are killed by
gassing. They are taken from their nests, sedated with CO2 gas, and die. Though this is
considered a “humane” way to kill them, animal welfare organizations disagree. Sophia Kevany
shares a quote from Wendy Higgins from the Humane Society International (HSI): “gassing is
‘particularly cruel because mink are semi-aquatic animals able to hold their breath for long
periods,”’ (“Danish Covid Mink Cull and Future Disease Fears Will Kill Fur Trade”). Minks can
hold their breaths, which means that they may survive the initial round of gassing and be gassed
a second time, which is incredibly stressful for them and essentially torture. By touching on this
point, Kevany appeals to the reader’s sympathy for the animals to show that the culling of minks
not only causes devastation to the fur trade but is morally wrong. Gorman does not talk about the
animals themselves at all.
Both of the articles, “Denmark Will Kill All Farmed Mink, Citing Coronavirus
Infections,” by James Gorman and “Danish Covid Mink Cull and Future Disease Fears Will Kill
Fur Trade,” by Sophie Kevany educate the audience about COVID-19 mutations in minks and
our efforts to reduce the spread of the virus. However, Gorman does not take notice of the
farmers’ experiences, nor does he acknowledge the moral conflicts of the culling. Personally, I
think Kevany’s use of emotive language and sympathy had a greater impact on me than
Gorman’s article did. Gorman simply focused on how COVID-19 in minks is worrisome and
how we should end the lives of millions of minks. However, it missed the mark for me. After
reading his article, I was left with many questions, such as how the minks were being killed, how
the farmers felt about the situations, and how ethical this was. Kevany was able to not only
inform the reader about the situation, but also put things into perspective. It made me think about
how we value the lives of animals. According to scientists, the effects of the mutations of the
virus is uncertain, but we are still putting ourselves first, and ending the innocent lives of
millions of creatures to prevent the possibility of a more lethal virus. Given this, is it really
ethical to base the fate of these animals off of our own fears? Where do we draw the line
between paranoia and realistic thinking?
Works Cited:
1. Gorman, James. “Denmark Will Kill All Farmed Mink, Citing Coronavirus Infections.”
The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Nov. 2020,
www.nytimes.com/2020/11/04/health/covid-mink-mutation.html
2. “Danish Covid Mink Cull and Future Disease Fears Will Kill Fur Trade, Say Farmers.”
The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 6 Nov. 2020,
www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/06/danish-covid-mink-cull-and-futuredisease-fears-will-kill-fur-trade-say-farmers