A banana, of all things. But what’s more troubling is the story of a monkey in Mississippi that met a tragic end. On Tuesday, local authorities caught and killed a monkey that may have been innocent, all based on claims it was “aggressive” and potentially carrying various diseases, including the coronavirus and some sexually transmitted infections.
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office stated that they had “culled” several rhesus macaques after a truck transporting these monkeys overturned. The driver alarmingly reported them as dangerous, citing them as carriers of the coronavirus, hepatitis C, and herpes.
According to police, the truck driver conveyed that these monkeys posed a threat to public safety. They took immediate action based on this information.
However, the 40-pound monkey that was captured originated from Tulane University’s Primate Research Center. It turned out that it wasn’t “infectious” and had no ties to the center or the university. In fact, the university later indicated on social media that they were not involved with this particular monkey.
The agency clarified that the primate involved belonged to a different organization and had not been exposed to any infectious agents. They mentioned that while no non-human primates from Tulane were transported, they were collaborating with local authorities and had dispatched animal care experts to assist.
Initially, the police mentioned that only one animal had escaped during the accident on Interstate 59 in Jasper County. However, they later revealed that three monkeys had actually managed to get away.
Although the police warned the public that this primate could present a health risk and could be aggressive, they mentioned that an “animal processing” company, along with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, were on-site shortly after the incident.
It was reported that some monkeys lost their lives in the crash, while others managed to escape or remained trapped inside the vehicle.
Questions for Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson went unanswered as of Wednesday.
