Lab monkeys on loose after Mississippi crash were disease-free, university says | Mississippi

A group of monkeys freed from captivity Tuesday after the truck carrying them overturned on a Mississippi highway did not carry a dangerous infectious disease, a university said.

The truck was carrying rhesus monkeys, which typically weigh around 16 lb (7.7 kg) and are among the most medically studied animals on the planet.

The video shows monkeys crawling through tall grass on the side of Interstate 59 just north of Heidelberg, Mississippi; Wooden crates labeled “live animals” lie crumpled and strewn about.

The local sheriff’s department initially said the monkeys carried diseases including herpes, but Tulane University said in a statement that the monkeys “were not exposed to any infectious agents.”

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, which initially reported that all but one of the monkeys had been killed, said Wednesday that three monkeys had been released and were being sought.

They were housed at the Tulane University National Center for Biomedical Research in New Orleans, Louisiana, which routinely supplies primates to scientific research organizations, according to the university.

The crash occurred about 100 miles (160 km) from the state capital of Jackson. It has not yet been determined what caused the truck to overturn.

The Associated Press contributed to this report