“There was an accident on I59 near mile marker 117. The truck was transporting rhesus monkeys from Tulane University. The monkeys weigh approximately 30 pounds, are aggressive towards people and require personal protective equipment when handling them. The monkeys carry hepatitis C, herpes and COVID,” the report said.
Its authors noted that the animals were transported in cages, but some of them were released.
After specialists reached the truck damaged in the accident, it turned out that at least three monkeys had escaped.
They were joined in the search by law enforcement, representatives of an animal disposal company and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
In an updated portion of the post, the sheriff's department said that “all but one of the escaped monkeys were killed” and the search for the escaped primate continues.
NDTV reports that rhesus monkeys are widely used in scientific research because they share genetic similarities with humans. This is the monkey the United States sent into space in 1948.
