Picture from the Jasper County Sheriff's Department shows one of the escaped monkeys.

A truck hauling lab monkeys from Tulane University crashed in eastern Mississippi on Tuesday, Oct. 28, and several of the animals fled the vehicle.

All but one of the escaped monkeys were “destroyed," the Jasper County Sheriff's Department shared on Facebook.

“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 post said.

The sheriff's office added that the escaped rhesus monkeys weighed about 40 pounds each and were "aggressive to humans."

Monkeys are 'not infectious,' Tulane University says

The sheriff's office said Tulane University has been notified and will send a team to pick up the remaining caged monkeys on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

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

Initially, the sheriff's office said the monkeys "carry hepatitis C, herpes and COVID." According to the law enforcement agency, the driver of the truck hauling the monkeys told local authorities that the animals were "dangerous and posed a threat to humans," so anyone handling them would need to wear personal protective equipment.

"We took the appropriate actions after being given that information from the person transporting the monkeys," the sheriff's office said.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lab monkeys escape after truck crashes in Mississippi, 1 remains on the loose

Reporting by Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect