NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
A truck carrying 21 rhesus monkeys from Tulane University to a testing facility in Florida overturned on Tuesday, Oct. 28, setting the primates loose<\/p>\n
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department warned that the monkeys were \u201caggressive\u201d and claimed they posed a health risk<\/p>\n
However, Tulane University later released a statement saying the monkeys were “not infectious”<\/p>\n
Rhesus monkeys being transported from Tulane University escaped from an overturned truck following an accident in Mississippi.<\/p>\n
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department announced the news in a Facebook post <\/a>on Tuesday, Oct. 28, warning that the monkeys posed a health risk and were \u201caggressive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been reported that several monkeys are on the loose,\u201d they wrote, before warning, \u201cDo not approach the monkeys if you see one. Call 911.\u201d<\/p>\n The department then posted an update<\/a> to say that \u201call but one of the escaped monkeys have been destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have been in contact with an animal disposal company to help handle the situation,\u201d their message said. “Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries is also on site with our local law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are continuing to look for the one monkey that is still on the loose,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories<\/p>\n Sharing more details about the primates, the department said that “the monkeys are approximately 40 lbs., they are aggressive to humans and they require PPE to handle.”<\/p>\n Additionally, they said that the animals \u201ccarry hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID.\u201d However, in a separate statement, Tulane University said the monkeys being transported were “not infectious.”<\/p>\n PEOPLE contacted the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, who had no additional comment about the discrepancy and referred to their social media pages for updates.<\/p>\n The announcement said that Tulane had been notified of the situation and would send a team to pick up the monkeys that were still in their cages.<\/p>\n