Update (12:08 pm, Oct 29th): Reports now show that three monkeys remain on the loose after Jasper County Sheriff's Office updated their Facebook announcement.
The sheriff's announcement states, "There are 3 monkeys still on the loose after the officials from Tulane were able to get inside the truck and get a correct count. Officials from Tulane arrived this evening rather than tomorrow as previously reported."
Reports also reveal that initial claims that the monkeys were infectious, carrying STI's and COVID, is untrue. This is according to Tulane's statement below.
Tulane University released a full statement on Wednesday clarifying that the monkeys involved in this incident do not belong to the university:
"Non-human primates at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center are provided to other research organizations to advance scientific discovery. The primates in question belong to another entity and are not infectious. We are actively collaborating with local authorities and will send a team of animal care experts to assist as needed," the statement reads.
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A truck with lab monkeys crashed on I-59 around mile marker 117, near Heidelberg, MS. Five were released during the course of the wreck.
The monkeys were reported to be carrying diseases, including hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID. (The claim of infectious diseases was later revealed to be untrue.) However, authorities have warned that they can be aggressive toward humans.
As of 1:58 pm, the Jasper County Sheriff's Office announced via Facebook, "All but one of the escaped monkeys have been destroyed. We have been in contact with an animal disposal company to help handle the situation. Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries is also on site with our local law enforcement. We are continuing to look for the one monkey that is still on the loose."
The sherrif's office staes that crash involved Rhesus monkeys, which are about 40 pounds each. There are apparently more monkeys still caged on the truck, and Tulane University has been notified and will be en route to pick up the remaining monkeys within a day.