A group of potentially diseased lab monkeys escaped after a vehicle crash on a main interstate highway in Mississippi.
A truck carrying rhesus monkeys was involved in a wreck on Interstate 59 on Tuesday afternoon, according to a Facebook post from the Jasper county sheriff’s department.
The monkeys, which came from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, were infected with several viruses including hepatitis C and Covid-19, according to the department, thus posing a potential health risk to humans.
“The monkeys are approximately 40lbs, they are aggressive to humans and they require [personal protective equipment] to handle,” read the department’s social media post.
However, a representative from Tulane shared a differing statement on the monkeys, WTVA reported. “Non-human primates at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center are provided to other research organizations to advance scientific discovery,” said Tulane spokesperson Andrew Yawn.
“The primates in question belong to another entity and are not infectious. We are actively collaborating with local authorities and will send a team of animal care experts to assist as needed.”
All but one of the monkeys were said by local police officials to have been “destroyed” later on Tuesday. “We are continuing to look for the one monkey that is still on the loose,” the sheriff’s department added.
