Five animals put down after driver mistakenly tells officers they were infected
PUBLISHED : 30 Oct 2025 at 11:34
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A rhesus monkey stands on a crate next to a truck that overturned on Interstate 59 in Jasper County, 120km southeast of Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo: Jasper County Sheriff’s Department)
JASPER COUNTY, Mississippi — Several rhesus monkeys escaped after a truck transporting them overturned on a highway in this southern US state, with three still reported to be at large as of Wednesday.
The incident on Tuesday prompted a containment and recovery operation in which sheriff’s deputies euthanised five monkeys after the driver mistakenly told them they were infected with Covid-19, hepatitis C and herpes, the New York Times reported.
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department said the vehicle overturned on Interstate 59 near Heidelberg, about 120 kilometres southeast of the state capital Jackson.
Twenty-one rhesus monkeys were aboard the truck at the time, according to Sheriff Randy Johnson, who said the driver had fallen asleep.
The driver reportedly told deputies the animals were aggressive, potentially dangerous to humans and required protective gear to handle. Acting on that information, authorities warned the public to stay clear of the area.
Authorities were initially told that the monkeys were linked to the National Biomedical Research Center at Tulane University in New Orleans. However, the university later clarified that the primates did not belong to the institution and were not infectious.
“The primates in question belong to another entity and have not been exposed to any infectious agent,” the university said, adding that a team of animal care experts had been dispatched to assist local officials.
It declined to name the other entity or say where the monkeys were being taken at the time of the crash.
The sheriff’s department subsequently said that three monkeys remained unaccounted for after Tulane staff were able to conduct a full count. An animal disposal firm and officers from Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries also assisted at the scene.