An aggressive monkey infected with COVID-19 and other diseases was on the loose in Jasper County, Mississippi, on Tuesday after a semi-truck carrying 21 primates overturned while transporting them from Tulane University to an out-of-state testing facility.
All 20 of the other infected rhesus monkeys were destroyed after the accident, according to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department.
“We are continuing to look for the one monkey that is still on the loose,” the sheriff’s department reported on Facebook. “We have been in contact with an animal disposal company to help handle the situation.”
The monkeys weighed about 40 pounds each. They also carried hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID, but are not infectious, according to authorities.
The accident occurred at about 2 p.m. local time on Interstate 59 near mile marker 117, about 86 miles east of Jackson, Mississippi, near Heidelberg. The truck was headed to Florida, according to officials.
The sheriff’s department warned residents living around the area of the accident to not approach the monkeys.
I thought we were done torturing animals? This is so sad….