Mink in their thousands have been wiped out by coronavirus at fur farms, experts have warned.

Ranchers in Utah, America, who keep mink for their silky, luxurious pelts have lost at least 8,000 of the animal to Covid-19.

Dr Dean Taylor, State Veterinarian of Utah said the virus was first detected in Mink in August, one month after farmworkers had fallen ill.

Research has so far shown that humans can carry the virus to animals but not the other way round.

Dr Taylor told CNN: "Everything we've looked at here in Utah suggests it's gone from the humans to the animals.

"It feels like a unidirectional path."

Utah is the first state in America to host an outbreak among mink.

A spokesperson at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, told CNN that 2,000 mink have also died from coronavirus at a Wisconsin farm.

Officials have since quarantined the farm which WDATCP spokesperson, Kevin Hoffman said has stopped any animals or animal products leaving the Taylor County premises.

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Dr Keith Paulson from the UW-Madison Veterinary School Diagnostic Laboratory has noted "significant mortality in the mink" and that three of the farmworkers had recovered from the virus after displaying "mild to moderate clinical signs".

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reported other cases have been detected across Europe in the Netherlands, Spain and Denmark.

USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories has already confirmed cases of SAR-CoV-2 -the virus that causes Covid-19 – in dozens of other animals, including dozens of dogs, cats, a lion, and a tiger.

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Mink, which are close relations of weasels, otters and ferrets, appear to suffer similar symptoms to humans according to Dr Taylor.

Just like humans, the infected Mink demonstrated difficulty breathing and crusting around the eyes, but the virus spreads even quicker, killing most infected mink within a day.

It is not known why mink is so much more susceptible to the virus than other species.

The cases in Utah have spread across nine farms, but Dr Taylor has warned: "We're still in the middle of the outbreak."

Each farm is under quarantine with only essential workers using proper protective equipment are allowed on site.

The pelts from most of the dead mink have been either contained and buried or incinerated without any leaving the state.

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