A number of monkeys were "destroyed" after they got loose Tuesday morning and Mississippi law enforcement officers were mistakenly told they were dangerous.
The rhesus monkeys were being transported when the truck carrying them crashed in Jasper County, Mississippi, about 75 miles east of Jackson, the Jasper County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.
The vehicle's driver told deputies that the primates posed a threat to humans; that they were aggressive; that they had hepatitis C, herpes and Covid; and that they would require personal protective equipment to handle, the sheriff's department said on Facebook.
“The driver of the truck told local law enforcement that the monkeys were dangerous and posed a threat to humans,” it said. “We took the appropriate actions after being given that information from the person transporting the monkeys.”
The department said the monkeys were being hauled from Tulane University. In a post on X, the school said that its National Biological Research Center provides primates to other research organizations to "advance science" and that the monkeys in question were not infectious.
In a statement to NBC News Tuesday night, the university said the monkeys belonged to a third party.
“The primates in question belong to another entity, and they have not been exposed to any infectious agent,” it said. “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 sheriff's department did not specify how many monkeys, which it said weighed about 40 pounds each, were on board the truck.
The department initially said one of the animals was still missing but in an update clarified that, after officials from Tulane "were able to get inside the truck and get a correct count," they determined three monkeys remain on the loose.
The sheriff's department warned the public about the crash on Interstate 59, which runs diagonally across the south and eastern side of Jasper County, shortly after 9:30 a.m. It told people to avoid the monkeys because they posed "potential health threats and are aggressive."
The sheriff's department said it contacted an animal disposal firm to take the carcasses at the scene. It also said Tulane would send a team to pick up the monkeys that remained caged and did not escape.
Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
