A second monkey, which escaped from a transport truck last week, was shot and killed early Tuesday morning on a Mississippi highway. Authorities have also indicated that another primate remains unaccounted for.
The incident began on October 28 when a truck carrying 21 rhesus macaques overturned in a ditch near Heidelberg, Michigan. The vehicle suffered significant damage, allowing several monkeys to escape through a hole in the back door.
Officials reported that five monkeys near the crash site were captured and euthanized, while three others vanished into the Mississippi Valley.
On Tuesday, Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson confirmed that a civilian shot and killed the escaped monkey after spotting it on the highway.
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks also stated that the monkey was found dead, while the remaining primate is still at large.
The first monkey was killed by a local mother of three on Sunday as it was sitting on the hip of a house surrounded by dense foliage.
“If it were to attack someone’s child, and I could’ve stopped it, that would’ve been a huge responsibility for me,” the 35-year-old mother shared.
“It’s kind of scary and dangerous to have them roaming around while kids play in the yard,” she added.
The group of rhesus macaques is linked to the National Center for Biomedical Research in New Orleans and is often supplied to other research institutions for scientific advancements, as indicated by Tulane University.
Initially, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department warned local residents that the monkeys could have coronavirus, hepatitis C, and herpes, but that information was later proven incorrect.
Despite that, authorities urged anyone who encounters the monkeys to maintain their distance, noting their potentially aggressive nature.
Research has shown that rhesus macaques can display hostile behavior, particularly when in captivity.
PreLabs, the biomedical research organization that owned the monkeys in the incident, cautioned the public against approaching the surviving animals, as they might be frightened and disoriented.
The 13 monkeys that survived the crash were delivered to their designated locations last week, according to a statement from Tulane University, which emphasized that it was not responsible for the transport.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol is currently investigating this unusual crash.
