Rhesus Monkeys on the loose in Mississippi after truck overturns

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October 30, 2025
3 min read

Rhesus Monkeys on the loose in Mississippi after truck overturns

A truck transporting Rhesus monkeys overturned on an American highway in the state of Mississippi, allowing the animals to escape, according to local officials.

“All but one of the escaped monkeys have been destroyed,” according to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department. A later update however revealed that the officials have been able to “get a correct count,” determining that three of the primates were still on the loose.

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The Rhesus monkeys had been housed at the National Biomedical Research Center at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, for scientific research purposes. They were carrying diseases, according to the sheriff’s department, though the university later revealed that they had not been exposed to “any infectious agent.”

The driver of the truck was quoted by officials in the initial report as saying that the primates were dangerous and needed to be handled with personal protective equipment, leading to the officials warning that they were carrying diseases. Rhesus monkeys are commonly used for scientific and medical research.

Exactly how many Rhesus monkeys were on the truck is unclear, who owned them, where they were being transported to, or why the truck overturned. The university said that they “were not being transported by Tulane, not owned by Tulane, and not in Tulane’s custody.” It “did not transport or own the nonhuman primates at the time of the incident,” and has sent “a team of animal care experts to assist,” it added.

Videos posted online showed them moving through tall grass on the side of the southern state’s highways. Wooden crates with the label “live animals” were also seen on the highway.

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