US police put down ‘dangerous’ escaped laboratory monkeys

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The primates escaped following a truck accident in Mississippi and were subsequently put down after the driver informed officials they carried infectious diseases

Authorities in Mississippi, US, located and killed several research monkeys that had escaped from an overturned truck on Tuesday.

A number of research monkeys at large in Mississippi, US, were found and killed after their transport truck crashed on Tuesday. The monkeys were euthanized because the truck driver incorrectly informed police that they carried diseases like Covid and presented a risk to people.

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department reported via Facebook that the incident took place on Tuesday morning on Interstate 59 close to Heidelberg, approximately 160km from Jackson. The vehicle was transporting rhesus monkeys linked to Tulane University’s National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans.

The department stated that the truck driver informed deputies the animals were “dangerous and posed a threat to humans”, carrying diseases such as hepatitis C, herpes, and Covid, and requiring protective equipment for handling. Based on this information, law enforcement indicated they took “appropriate actions.” Officials subsequently confirmed that most of the monkeys were “destroyed.”

Tulane University, however, clarified that the monkeys were not directly theirs and were “not infectious.” In a statement, the university asserted that these primates belonged to a different entity and had not been exposed to any infectious agents. “We are actively collaborating with local authorities and are dispatching a team of animal care experts to assist,” the university stated.

The sheriff’s department reported that three monkeys were at large after officials managed to access the overturned truck and perform an accurate count. It subsequently confirmed that all but one of the escaped monkeys had been killed.

Footage from the site depicted wooden crates marked “live animals” strewn across the roadside, with monkeys visible moving through high grass. The sheriff’s department indicated it had engaged an animal disposal company to clear the carcasses from the vicinity.

The rhesus monkey, a species frequently utilized in biomedical research, generally weighs approximately 5-7 #kg and measures about 50cm in length. The New England Primate Conservancy characterizes them as “curious” and “highly intelligent,” noting the species’ strong adaptability to cohabiting with humans.