By: Kyleigh Coy
October 30, 2025
Tuesday a truck carrying Rhesus monkeys on a Mississippi highway overturned releasing the monkeys from captivity.
21 primates were in the truck when the accident occurred on Interstate 59, north of Heidelberg Mississippi. Most of these monkeys were killed but three remain on the loose. The search is on for the missing monkeys as the 16-pound monkeys are known to be aggressive.
Videos taken after the accident show the monkeys siting in the tall grass surrounded by broken wooden crates labeled “live animals”.
The monkeys were being housed by Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tulane University often provides primates to organize scientific research. It is unclear where the monkeys were being transported to.
Tulane University determined that the monkeys were not carrying any infectious diseases. This report comes after the truck driver warned that monkeys were dangerous and carrying various diseases including herpes.
The university said that monkeys didn’t belong to them and they weren’t transporting them but they sent a team of animal experts to aid in their care.
Jasper County Sheriff Johnson stated the monkeys need to be “neutralized” because of their aggressive nature. Wednesday searchers in gear such as white coats, gloves, and hair nets, were attempting to locate the missing primates.
Mississippi’s state veterinarian Dr. James Watson said that the animals contained the proper documents and “certificate of veterinary inspection” to legally transport the animals across the state lines.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating the crash that occurred 100 miles from the state capital of Jackson. It is currently unclear what caused the truck to overturn.
Rhesus monkeys are one of the most medically studied animals in the world, and this is not the first time they have escaped from captivity. In 2015 Rhesus macaques at Tulane National Primate Research Center were euthanized after a “biosecurity breach”.
After this incident the organization updated its procedures and retrained staff. Earlier this year Tulane changed their name by replacing “Primate” with “Biomedical”.
Then just last year 43 Rhesus macaques escaped from a South Carolina compound that studies the monkeys for medical research. The monkeys escaped because an employee didn’t lock the enclosure. Employees used traps to recapture the animals.
People are told to immediately alert authorities if they spot a monkey.
