Aggressive Monkeys ‘Destroyed’ After Escaping from Overturned Truck

Rhesus monkeys being transported from Tulane University escaped from an overturned truck following an accident in Mississippi.

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department announced the news in a Facebook post on Tuesday, Oct. 28, warning that the monkeys posed a health risk and were “aggressive.”

“It has been reported that several monkeys are on the loose,” they wrote, before warning, “Do not approach the monkeys if you see one. Call 911.”

The department then posted an update to say that “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,” their message said. “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,” they wrote.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories

Sharing more details about the primates, the department said that “the monkeys are approximately 40 lbs., they are aggressive to humans and they require PPE to handle.”

Additionally, they said that the animals “carry hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID.” However, in a separate statement, Tulane University said the monkeys being transported were “not infectious.”

PEOPLE contacted the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, who had no additional comment about the discrepancy and referred to their social media pages for updates.

The announcement said that Tulane had been notified of the situation and would send a team to pick up the monkeys that were still in their cages.

Local CBS affiliate WHLT reported that there was a total of 21 monkeys being carried on the truck, which were en route to a testing facility in Florida.

“Non-human primates at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center are provided to other research organizations to advance scientific discovery,” the university said in a statement, according to the outlet. “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 Louisisana-based university added.