Rhesus Macaque Euthanized Following Truck Crash in Mississippi

A rhesus macaque was euthanized on Tuesday after escaping from a truck involved in an accident on Interstate 59 in Jasper County, Mississippi. This monkey was reportedly being transported from a lab that receives federal funding through a grant tied to the Fauci administration.

During Anthony Fauci’s time as the head of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the agency funneled millions to the Tulane National Primate Research Center, which has since been rebranded as the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center. The center conducts diverse biomedical research, addressing key issues from COVID-19 to AIDS, according to their official statement.

The fact that the monkeys were associated with taxpayer-funded research raised eyebrows. The White Coat Waste (WCW) project, an organization focused on reducing government spending on animal testing, noted this connection. “We’ve been trying for years to cut taxpayer funding for Tulane’s primate lab,” stated WCW Senior Vice President Justin Goodman in a statement. “After the accident, we traced the funding straight back to the NIH. The solution is straightforward: cut the funding, and stop this madness.”

Details about which specific programs the NIH is currently supporting at Tulane remain vague. More financial support was recently allocated to the center, such as a significant grant for biocontainment laboratory resources.

As for the accident itself, it’s unclear how many monkeys were on board the vehicle, who owned them, or the reasons behind their transport. The truck was reportedly en route from Tulane when the incident occurred. Initially, a local official warned residents that three monkeys were seen behaving aggressively. The truck driver claimed the animals were carrying various diseases, including coronavirus and herpes, but Tulane denied these assertions, assuring that the monkeys were not their responsibility.

Authorities confirmed that “all but one of the escaped monkeys were euthanized.” The university later clarified, stating that their monkeys are often sent to other research facilities to aid in scientific discovery. According to Tulane, the animals involved in the crash were not owned by them and were free of any disease, having recently undergone health checks. While they maintained they had no involvement with the monkeys at the time of the accident, they did dispatch animal care experts to assist in the situation.

Furthermore, Tulane describes its program as “one of the longest-running NIH-funded research programs in the nation.” However, attempts to obtain further comments from Tulane regarding this incident went unanswered.