Residents have received a cautionary alert following reports of three aggressive monkeys breaking free and roaming in the area. Initially thought to be carrying infectious diseases like hepatitis C, herpes, and Covid-19, locals were advised to steer clear of the animals and contact the police immediately if spotted. Subsequently, it was confirmed that the monkeys were not diseased.
The monkeys’ escape occurred after a vehicle transporting the research primates overturned on a highway north of Heidelberg in Mississippi, US, earlier this week. Despite the truck driver’s claims of the monkeys being aggressive and contagious, Tulane University officials clarified that the monkeys posed no health threat.
Sheriff Randy Johnson announced that due to the monkeys’ aggressive behavior, they needed to be dealt with. While an undisclosed number of Rhesus monkeys were euthanized, three managed to evade capture and are currently on the loose. These monkeys were part of a group housed at Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center, which supplies primates to scientific organizations.
Questions remain regarding the total number of monkeys involved, their intended destination, and the circumstances leading to the accident. Video footage shows the monkeys wandering near Interstate 59, north of Heidelberg, with marked crates scattered around.
University representatives are actively searching for the escaped monkeys, while the rest of the primates are being relocated to a facility in Louisiana. The exact ownership, transportation details, and purpose behind the monkeys’ journey remain unknown.
Rhesus monkeys, extensively used in medical research, are currently unaccounted for in the countryside approximately 100 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi. The public is advised not to approach them and to report any sightings to law enforcement. The Mississippi highway patrol is investigating the incident.