"The recent escape of several research monkeys after the truck carrying them overturned on a Mississippi interstate is the latest glimpse into the secretive industry of animal research and the processes that allow key details of what happened to be kept from the public. Three monkeys have remained on the loose since the crash on Tuesday in a rural area along Interstate 59, spilling wooden crates labeled "live monkeys" into the tall grass near the highway."
"Mississippi authorities have not disclosed the company involved in transporting the monkeys, where the monkeys were headed or who owns them. While Tulane University in New Orleans has acknowledged that the monkeys had been housed at its National Biomedical Research Center in Covington, Louisiana, it said it doesn't own them and won't identify who does. An initial report from the sheriff described the monkeys as "aggressive" and carrying diseases such as herpes, adding to the confusion."
""When a truck carrying 21 monkeys crashes on a public highway, the community has a right to know who owned those animals, where they were being sent, and what diseases they may have been exposed to and harbored simply by being caught up in the primate experimentation industry," said Lisa Jones-Engel, senior science adviser on primate experimentation with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals."
Several research Rhesus macaques escaped after a truck carrying 21 primates overturned on a rural Mississippi interstate, spilling crates labeled "live monkeys" into tall grass. Search teams in protective gear found most animals, but three remained at large and five of the 21 were killed during the search. Authorities have refused to disclose the transporter, destination, or owner of the animals. Tulane's Covington research center acknowledged housing the monkeys but said it does not own them and declined to identify the owner. Initial sheriff statements described the animals as aggressive and potentially carrying pathogens; Tulane later said the monkeys tested free of pathogens. Animal advocates called for public disclosure about ownership, destination, and disease risks.
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