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A truck transporting monkeys overturned on a highway in the US’s Mississippi, causing the animals to escape, according to authorities. According to the BBC, the monkeys, probably Rhesus monkeys, were housed at Tulane University’s National Biomedical Research Centre in New Orleans, Louisiana, for scientific research purposes. “All but one of the escaped monkeys have been killed,” the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department said, calling the animals “aggressive”. Later, it said that officials have been able to “get a correct count” and said three monkeys were still on the loose. “The driver of the truck told local law enforcement that the monkeys were dangerous and posed a threat to humans. We took the appropriate actions after being given that information from the person transporting the monkeys. He also stated that you had to wear PPE equipment to handle the monkeys,” the department said. Initially, it had warned that the monkeys were carrying diseases, but later Tulane University said that the animals had not been exposed to “any infectious agent”. NO MONKEY BUSINESS: Truckload of research monkeys broke free after a transport truck crashed in Mississippi, scattering crates along the highway. Deputies say the animals carry hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID — and one remains on the loose. pic.twitter.com/fut122umG5 — Fox News (@FoxNews) October 29, 2025 The videos of the incident that went viral on social media showed monkeys walking in tall grass on the side of Interstate 59 just north of Heidelberg, Mississippi, with wooden crates labelled “live animals” strewn about. The university, however, said that the animals “were not being transported by Tulane, not owned by Tulane, and not in Tulane’s custody”. It added that although Tulane “did not transport or own the nonhuman primates at the time of the incident”, it sent “a team of animal care experts to assist” officials. “Nonhuman primates at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Centre are provided to other research organisations to advance scientific discovery,” the university said in a statement Wednesday to FOX Television Stations. “This is a common practice among research organisations.”
