Monkeys are on the run in Mississippi after a truck carrying several rhesus monkeys crashed on Tuesday, according to WSB-TV.

Early reports from the sheriff’s office said the rhesus monkeys involved in a Mississippi truck crash were carrying hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID. Authorities described the animals as

“approximately 40 (pounds), they are aggressive to humans and they require PPE to handle,”

a sheriff’s spokesperson said on Facebook.

At first, the sheriff’s office reported that all of the monkeys had escaped and that all but one had been shot. But in an update Tuesday afternoon, officials said

“several”

monkeys were still on the loose. Officials said the truck had been traveling from Tulane University when it crashed on Interstate 59. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and other local law enforcement agencies responded to the scene. Residents were urged not to approach the remaining loose monkey and to contact 911 if they spotted it.

Tulane University later disputed claims that the monkeys were carrying infectious diseases. In a statement, the university said,

“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 are not infectious. We are actively collaborating with local authorities and will send a team of animal care experts to assist as needed.”

#Clique, what are your thoughts?