A truck carrying research monkeys recently flipped on a Mississippi interstate. Crates busted open, and the primates inside fled, scattering into the woods. Local cops immediately took to Facebook to announce a doomsday scenario: the monkeys were infected with all sorts of diseases, including herpes, hepatitis C, and some may have even had COVID-19. On top of that, the cop said, they were “aggressive.”
Sounds scary, but anyone who wasn’t looking to kiss the monkeys was probably going to be okay. Within hours, Tulane University, whose research center the truck had supposedly departed from, stepped in to clarify a few things.
First off, the rhesus macaques weren’t carriers of any diseases. Secondly, they weren’t even Tulane’s monkeys.
Are the ‘Aggressive’ Lab Monkeys That Escaped From a Truck Crash Diseased or Not?
A university spokesperson clarified to Futurism that the animals had been recently vetted and confirmed they were pathogen-free before being shipped out for research. Tulane dispatched its animal experts to help with cleanup as the local sheriff’s office quietly walked back its apocalyptic messaging.
Still, officials insisted the animals needed to be “neutralized” due to their aggressive nature. Which sounds dramatic until you remember that rhesus macaques are the same species that routinely mug tourists for snacks in Thailand, and since this is America, petty theft = death, even if you’re a monkey.
Out of 21 monkeys, most were killed in the crash. Three escaped into the woods near Heidelberg, Mississippi. As state veterinarians, highway patrol officers, and wildlife officers combed the area in full biohazard gear, no one seemed sure who owned the monkeys or where they were headed.
The state vet later confirmed the transport was legal and all documentation checked out.
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