Lab Monkeys, Presenting Possible Infection Risk, Escape Truck After Crash In Pennsylvania

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Police in Pennsylvania say they are searching for a number of monkeys that escaped after a truck carrying about 100 of the animals was involved in a crash.

The truck was involved in a crash with a dump trailer in Montour County, Pennsylvania on Friday afternoon as the monkeys were being transported to a laboratory according to local media reports.

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Investigators shared this photo with @WNEP showing one of the monkeys that escaped from a truck after a wreck off of I-80 this afternoon. Troopers and Game Wardens are still trying to catch 4 monkeys, including this one. pic.twitter.com/zsFZdQjawP
— Marshall Keely (@MKeelyNews) January 22, 2022

RT reports: While it is unclear whether any animals were injured, some of them were confirmed to have escaped. The authorities have launched a search and asked for the public’s assistance. At least four of the monkeys – reported to be long-tailed macaques – are believed to be on the loose.

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The incident may have endangered not only the animals in question, but the public too, according to the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). If the runaway monkeys suffered injuries in the accident, this would make them more likely to be a threat to any person they might encounter, because fear can cause aggression.

PETA also expressed the concern that they might carry pathogens that could be spread to humans.

“There is no way to ensure that monkeys are virus-free, and state veterinary and other records show that monkeys in laboratories in the US have been found with tuberculosis, Chagas disease, cholera, and MRSA,” primatologist and PETA science advisor, Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel said in a statement.