JASPER COUNTY, Miss. ( WLBT /Gray News) – Several monkeys used for animal testing were shot and killed after a truck carrying them overturned in Mississippi on Tuesday afternoon.

According to the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office , the crash happened on Interstate 59 near mile marker 117, which is north of Heidelberg, Mississippi.

The truck was carrying Rhesus monkeys to a testing facility in Florida from Tulane University in New Orleans.

Initial information from the sheriff’s office said the monkeys were said to be carrying hepatitis C, herpes and COVID. They were described as 40 pounds and “aggressive” to humans, requiring personal protective equipment to handle.

Officials said if the monkeys left the wreck site, they must be shot.

However, Tulane University disputed information

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