Overview
- Forrest was among 21 rhesus macaques being transported for biomedical research when a truck overturned on I-59 in Mississippi on Oct. 28.
- He was the last of three unaccounted-for escapees and the only one to survive, recovered after about a week.
- Refuge officials said his extended time outside the research program disqualified him from returning to the facility.
- He arrived at Popcorn Park identified only by a tattooed number, NI 62, and has since acclimated in the refuge’s Monkey House.
- Caretakers report he is bonding with staff, interacting with other primates, vocalizing, and favoring grapes, as the refuge highlights his story in a Giving Tuesday appeal.