Heidelberg, Miss.. A second monkey has been shot and killed, and authorities said Tuesday they were still searching for a third monkey missing a week after it escaped from a truck that overturned on a Mississippi highway.
Someone shot the monkey after seeing it crossing the highway Monday evening about a mile from the scene October 28 crashJasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson said. Johnson said someone at the transportation company called him and retrieved the monkey after a civilian shot it.
On Tuesday, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks confirmed in a news release that one monkey was still missing after two escaped monkeys were “found deceased.” Officials warned that people should not approach rhesus monkeys, Saying they are known to be aggressive.
Over the weekend, a woman said she feared for her children’s safety He shot and killed another escaped monkey after her 16-year-old son saw a monkey outside their home near Heidelberg. Jessica Bond Ferguson said she and other residents were warned that the escaped monkeys carried diseases, so they shot them.
A truck carrying 21 monkeys overturned on Highway 59 north of Heidelberg last week and several of the monkeys escaped. Video from the scene showed monkeys and wooden boxes in the tall grass next to the highway. Researchers wearing protective gear were seen scouring nearby fields and forests in search of the missing primates. Officials said five monkeys were killed during the search and three were initially missing.
The monkeys were housed at the National Biomedical Research Center at Tulane University in Louisiana, which routinely provides primates for them. Scientific research organizationsaccording to the university. Tulane said she does not transport monkeys and that they are not affiliated with the university. The remaining 13 monkeys arrived at their original destination last week, according to Tolin.
Prefabs, which describes itself on its website as a biomedical research support organization, said in a statement Monday that a vehicle transporting its non-human primates was involved in the incident and the animals were legally transported to a licensed research facility. She stressed that the monkeys did not carry any known diseases, but asked the public not to approach them because they were most likely frightened and confused.
“We are cooperating with authorities and reviewing all safety measures to ensure the continued well-being of the animals and the community,” PreLabs said.
Escape is the latest glimpse of The secret industry of animal research And processes that allow basic details of what happened to be hidden from the public.