Copyright New York Post
That’s bananas. Innocent monkeys on the loose in Mississippi were captured and killed Tuesday after cops were mistakenly told they were “aggressive” and had COVID and sexually transmitted diseases, sources said Wednesday. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department “destroyed” an undisclosed number of the rhesus monkeys after a truck hauling them flipped and its driver incorrectly reported that they were dangerous and carrying COVID, hepatitis C and herpes, according to NBC News. “The driver of the truck told local law enforcement that the monkeys were dangerous and posed a threat to humans,” the police department wrote on Facebook. “We took the appropriate actions after being given that information from the person transporting the monkeys.” But the 40-pound monkeys, which were leaving Tulane University’s primate Research Center, were not actually “infectious” and don’t belong to the center, the university later wrote on X. “The primates in question belong to another entity, and they have not been exposed to any infectious agent,” it told NBC News. “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 police department initially said one of the animals had escaped then clarified three remained on the loose Tuesday after the crash on Interstate 59 in Jasper County. Cops had warned the primates were a “potential health threats and are aggressive” and said an “animal disposal” company and Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries were on scene Tuesday. Some of the monkeys died in the crash, others escaped and some remained caged in the truck, police said. Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson did not immediately respond to questions Wednesday.
