Overview
- The truck overturned in Jasper County on October 28, allowing rhesus macaques to escape; the cause of the crash remains unknown, according to local authorities.
- The driver told the sheriff’s office the primates were aggressive and infected with hepatitis C, herpes and Covid, and said special protective gear was required to handle them.
- Acting on the transporter’s account, local law enforcement shot and killed multiple monkeys, with officials confirming the deaths but not the number.
- Tulane University said the animals belonged to a third party and had not been exposed to any infectious agent, noting they could still be aggressive.
- A specialized company was called to remove carcasses, Tulane teams were to recover animals still in cages, and the sheriff offered limited comment as the review and search continued.