Monkey named Forrest, who escaped, has been rescued and is now safe in a sanctuary after a crash in Mississippi.

Monkey Escapes After Truck Crash, Finds Sanctuary

The final monkey that escaped from a transport van wrecked on a Mississippi highway on October 28th has been safely recovered. It will now live at an animal sanctuary in New Jersey.

The incident occurred when a truck transporting 21 rhesus macaques from Tulane University in New Orleans overturned during transit for biomedical research.

Following the accident, conflicting accounts regarding the monkeys’ safety led the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office to euthanize five of them, keeping 13 in cages.

Of the three that managed to escape, two were sadly killed by local residents within a week of the crash.

Popcorn Park Animal Sanctuary in Fork River, New Jersey, announced this week that the last surviving monkey, named Forrest, has been rescued.

In a recent Facebook update, the sanctuary said, “[Forrest’s] life changed forever after a horrific highway crash in Mississippi. He was the last and only survivor of the three remaining fugitives and was finally caught after nearly a week on the run.” Due to his time spent outside, he could not return to the research program, prompting the organization’s intervention to provide him with a lifelong home.

When Forrest arrived, he didn’t have a name, just a tattoo bearing the identification number NI 62.

“Forrest is now getting accustomed to his new home, becoming more familiar with the caretakers and other monkeys,” the organization shared. “His list of favorite foods is expanding (grapes are a top choice!) and he’s becoming more vocal, which indicates he’s settling in.”

Lisa Jones-Engel, a senior scientific advisor for primate experiments at PETA, commented that Forrest’s survival is “a rare thread of mercy in a system built on violence.” She expressed that no monkey should have to depend on an accident to escape a grim fate, highlighting that many others met tragic ends during the incident.

PETA and the White Coat Waste Project have urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to discontinue federal funding for controversial primate testing following this incident. In a significant turn, the CDC has now pledged to phase out all experiments involving monkeys.

PETA’s Executive Vice President Kathy Guillermo expressed her delight at the CDC’s decision, calling it a “tremendous victory for animals and science.” She emphasized the lack of positive outcomes from such experiments, noting historical failures in developing medical solutions.