Nov. 5 (UPI) — Only one rhesus monkey that escaped from a truck that overturned on a Mississippi highway a week ago remains on the loose, according to state wildlife officials who confirmed that two others were found deceased.
Officials in the state have been searching for the three monkeys since Oct. 28, when a truck transporting 21 of them from the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center overturned on Interstate 59, just north of Heidelberg, Miss.
Eight of the monkeys initially escaped from the vehicle, with five recovered from the crash site. A search was then launched for the missing three primates.
On Sunday, a Heidelberg homeowner found a monkey on their property, and the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said it was now in the possession of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
In an update Tuesday, the MDWFP confirmed “that two of the three unaccounted for rhesus macaques were recovered deceased.”
“At this time, one rhesus macaque remains unaccounted for.”
Authorities initially stated the animals weighed 40 pounds and posed “potential health threats,” as they allegedly carried hepatitis C, herpes and COVID-19.
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department later recanted this statement, saying that the truck’s driver had stated the animals were infected with diseases, but the Tulane National Primate Research Center, which supplies monkeys to other research organizations, said the primates in question “are not infectious.”
The MDWFP is warning the public to report any sightings of the remaining escaped monkey.
“Rhesus macaques are known to be aggressive, and the public is advised to avoid any contact and should not attempt to approach them,” it said.
