A truck carrying disease-carrying monkeys overturned in Mississippi, and most of the animals were killed after they escaped.

On Tuesday, a truck transporting rhesus monkeys associated with the Tulane University National Center for Biomedical Research overturned in Jasper County, Mississippi. Following the accident, several monkeys escaped, and the driver warned the police that the animals are aggressive and may carry diseases such as hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID-19. The police responded quickly, considering the monkeys a danger to people, and took measures that led to the killing of most of the animals. Authorities did not specify the total number of monkeys, but each weighed approximately 18 pounds. Tulane University later stated that the primates did not belong directly to them, but to a partner entity, and assured that the animals were not infectious, collaborating with authorities to manage the situation.