Three monkeys remained on the loose in rural Mississippi on Wednesday after a truck carrying research animals overturned, leaving authorities scrambling to track them down and raising questions about who owned the animals and where they were headed.

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department said the truck was carrying 21 Rhesus monkeys when it crashed Tuesday along Interstate 59 near Heidelberg. Officials initially believed only one monkey had escaped and that it had been killed, but Tulane University experts who examined the scene later determined three monkeys were still missing.

Why It Matters

Rhesus monkeys, which typically weigh around 16 pounds, are among the most widely used primates in medical research.

What To Know

Sheriff Randy Johnson said the monkeys were not infectious, desp

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