Covid: Russia starts vaccinating animals
Several regions have now started vaccinations at veterinary clinics, Russia's veterinary watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, told local media.
While scientists say there is currently no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the disease to humans, infections have been confirmed in various species worldwide.
Julia Melano, adviser to the head of Rosselkhoznadzor, said clinics were seeing an increase in vaccination requests from "breeders, pet-owners who travel frequently and also citizens whose animals roam freely", according to the RIA news agency.
Covid-19 has been a serious problem for mink - semi-aquatic mammals farmed for their fur. Multiple countries have reported infections in farmed mink which, in some cases, have fallen severely ill or died.
The largest mink outbreak happened in Denmark, which culled millions of animals and shut down the industry completely until 2022.
