HEIDELBERG, Miss. – A semitrailer hauling 21 Rhesus monkeys from Tulane University to a Florida research facility overturned on Interstate 59 Tuesday afternoon, scattering the animals across Jasper County and prompting a frantic recovery effort that ended with all but one primate euthanized.
The crash occurred near mile marker 117 just north of Heidelberg around 1:30 p.m. The driver, uninjured but shaken, told deputies the truck skidded on loose gravel while rounding a curve. Within minutes, the 40-pound monkeys broke free of damaged crates and bolted into nearby woods.
Jasper County Sheriff’s Office issued urgent alerts warning that the animals were “aggressive to humans” and required PPE due to possible hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID-19 exposure. Five monkeys were captured and killed on site; the rest were tracked and neutralized by Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks agents using tranquilizer rifles and thermal drones.
By dusk, 20 of the 21 primates had been accounted for. Searchers continued combing thick underbrush for the final escapee into the night.
Tulane University pushed back hard against the health warnings. “The primates are not infectious,” a university spokesperson said in a statement. “Standard biosafety protocols were followed, and none of the animals carried transmissible human pathogens.” Tulane dispatched its own veterinary team to oversee disposal and confirm the monkeys’ health status.
Sheriff Randy Johnson acknowledged the conflicting information but stood by the initial caution. “We acted on the information we had at the scene to protect the public,” he said. “Better safe than sorry when you’ve got 40-pound primates running loose.”
The highway reopened after a four-hour closure. No residents reported contact with the animals, and health officials said human risk remained negligible. A community meeting is scheduled for Wednesday morning at Heidelberg High School to address questions and provide the latest on the missing monkey.
