SAT . Authorities in Mississippi are searching for a monkey still on the loose after a truck carrying rhesus monkeys infected with Hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID crashed on Intersta

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Authorities in Mississippi say several monkeys have been destroyed and one remains on the loose after a truck carrying the animals crashed on Interstate 59 in Jasper County. (Credit: Jasper County Sheriff’s Office)

JASPER COUNTY, Miss. – Authorities in Mississippi said several monkeys “have been destroyed” but three are still on the loose after a truck carrying the animals crashed on Tuesday. 

Dig deeper:

In a Facebook post, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department previously said the rhesus monkeys carried Hepatitis C, herpes and COVID and were deemed to be “aggressive to humans,” requiring personal protective equipment to handle them.

The sheriff’s officer later clarified the comments with a statement from Tulane University that the monkeys were not infected. 

Deputies said the truck carrying the animals crashed on Interstate 59 near mile marker 117. 

They have been in contact with an animal disposal company to find the remaining monkey who escaped. 

“Non-human primates at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center are provided to other research organizations to advance scientific discovery,” the university said in a statement to FOX Television Stations. “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 are sending a team of animal care experts to assist,” the statement added. 

What’s next:

Tulane University has been notified and will send a team tomorrow to collect the remaining monkeys that are still in cages.

CORRECTION: An earlier edition of this story stated that one monkey was still missing, per the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office. The office clarified, saying three monkeys are on the loose. 

The Source: Information in this story comes from statements by the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, which reported details of the crash and the monkeys’ status in a Facebook post, and from Tulane University, which released a statement clarifying that the monkeys were not infectious and were not part of its transport. This story was reported from Los Angeles. MississippiWild Nature