Research monkeys escape from crashed truck in Mississippi, cops say. One loose
UPDATE: A previous version of this story included a statement from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department that said the monkeys were carrying viruses. In an updated statement from deputies and Tulane University, that information was attributed to the driver of the truck and found to be untrue.
“The driver of the truck told local law enforcement that the monkeys were dangerous and posed a threat to humans. We took the the appropriate actions after being given that information from the person transporting the monkeys,” the sheriff’s office said later on Oct. 28.
The updated story continues below.
A group of research monkeys being transported from Tulane University escaped after the truck they were in was involved in a crash and overturned, deputies say.
The truck was driving north of Heidelberg on Interstate 59 in Mississippi when it overturned, according to an Oct. 28 Facebook post from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department.
“It has been reported that several monkeys are on the loose,” deputies said.
The truck was hauling rhesus monkeys, a species that is commonly used in medical research, according to the sheriff’s office.
An hour after the crash was initially reported, deputies said all but one of the monkeys had been “destroyed” and an animal disposal company was working with Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries and local officials to handle the monkey remains.
Tulane University was notified of the crash and told officials the captured animals and those still caged would be picked up the next day, according to the post.
“Non-human primates at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center are provided to other research organizations to advance scientific discovery. The primates in question belong to another entity, and they have not been exposed to any infectious agent,” the New Orleans-based university told McClatchy News. “The non-human primates were NOT being transported by Tulane, but we are actively collaborating with local authorities and will send a team of animal care experts to assist as needed.”
Rhesus macaque monkeys belong to a group called Old-World monkeys, which are anatomically and genetically very similar to humans, making them successful models for disease research, according to Understanding Animal Research, a nonprofit organization based in the United Kingdom.
Rhesus macaques were specifically used to help develop the COVID-19 vaccine, the organization said, testing efficacy of the shot before it was used in large-scale clinical trials.
The species is native to Asia, their habitat stretching across Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and China, according to the New England Primate Conservancy.
They were introduced, however, to the Silver River in Florida in the 1930s, and a small population still exists in the area, the conservancy said.
A recent viral video showed the monkeys in Silver Springs State Park jumping into the water to the shock of kayakers below.
Heidelberg is in southeastern Mississippi, about an 85-mile drive southeast from Jackson.
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Research monkeys escape from crashed truck in Mississippi, cops say. One loose."
