A truck carrying a bunch of “aggressive” monkeys overturned on a Mississippi highway, with the primates escaping, according to authorities.
The Jasper County Mississippi Sheriff’s Office said the incident occurred on Tuesday when a truck carrying rhesus monkeys from Tulane University crashed.
The monkeys are approximately 40lbs, they are aggressive to humans and they require PPE to handle,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement posted to Facebook. “The monkeys carry hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID.”
All but one of the escaped monkeys were “destroyed,” officials said, who added that authorities are still searching for the remaining monkey.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many monkeys were involved.
Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries, along with law enforcement, responded to the scene, and an animal disposal company was contacted to assist.
A spokesperson for Tulane University said the school was not consulted regarding the destruction of the monkeys. They also released the following statement:
Non-human primates at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center are provided to other research organizations to advance scientific discovery. The primates in question belong to another entity, and they have not been exposed to any infectious agent. The non-human primates were NOT being transported by Tulane, but we are actively collaborating with local authorities and will send a team of animal care experts to assist as needed.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The National News Desk’s Jessica A. Botelho contributed to this report.