Escaped monkeys 'destroyed' after Mississippi police are mistakenly told they're a danger

A number of monkeys were "destroyed" after they got loose Tuesday morning and Mississippi law enforcement officers were mistakenly told they were dangerous

A number of monkeys were "destroyed" after they got loose Tuesday morning and Mississippi law enforcement officers were mistakenly told they were dangerous.

The rhesus monkeys were being transported when the truck carrying them crashed in Jasper County, Mississippi, about 75 miles east of Jackson, the Jasper County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

The vehicle's driver told deputies that the primates posed a threat to humans; that they were aggressive; that they had hepatitis C, herpes and Covid; and that they would require personal protective equipment to handle, the sheriff's department said on Facebook.

“The driver of the truck told local law enforcement that the monkeys were dangerous and posed a threat to humans,” it said. “We took the appropriate actions after being given that information from the person transporting the monkeys.”

The department said the monkeys were being hauled from Tulane University. In a post on X, the school said that its National Biological Research Center provides primates to other research organizations to "advance science" and that the monkeys in question were not infectious.