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A truck carrying “aggressive” monkeys carrying hepatitis C, herpes and COVID-19 capsized in Mississippi, with at least one monkey surviving, according to officials.
The truck was filled with caged rhesus monkeys when it crashed on Interstate 59 north of Heidelberg on Tuesday.
It was taking monkeys to a testing facility Floridaconnecticut news outlet WFSB Informed.
Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson told local outlets WAPT There were 21 monkeys on the truck, out of which six escaped.
“The monkey that ran away actually crossed the interstate and went into a wooded area,” Johnson said.
The Sheriff’s Department initially said in a Facebook Post That the monkeys posed a “potential health hazard”.
“The driver of the truck told local law enforcement that the monkeys were dangerous and a threat to humans. We took appropriate action after receiving information from the person transporting the monkeys. He also said that you have to wear PPE equipment to handle the monkeys,” the department said. Said,
Officials said the truck was carrying monkeys from Tulane University.
The university told Independent That monkeys left the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center in Covington, louisianaand were traveling to a non-Tulane-affiliated location.
“The primates in question belong to another entity,” the university said, adding that they were not being transported by a Tulane-affiliated service.
Tulane said in a statement Tuesday evening that the monkeys are not contagious.
The university said, “Primates… are not contagious. We are actively cooperating with local authorities and will send a team of animal care experts to assist as needed.” wrote,
Tulane insisted Independent The monkeys “have not been exposed to any infectious agents.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, “All but one of the escaped monkeys have been destroyed. We are in touch with an animal disposal company to help handle the situation,” officials said.
Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries also responded to the scene.
On Wednesday, Tulane will send a team to pick up the monkeys who are still in cages, according to officials.