Here’s what we know for sure: a truck that was transporting research monkeys crashed on an interstate in eastern Mississippi after leaving Tulane University, and some of them escaped.

According to a statement posted to Facebook, the local Jasper County Sheriff’s Office initially claimed the Rhesus monkeys were infected with a range of horrendous diseases — including hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID-19 — and were “aggressive.” All but one of the escaped animals have been euthanized, the police said, and the university was due to recover the ones still in cages.

“We are continuing to look for the one monkey that is still on the loose,” the cops said.

But then the story took an unexpected turn. Tulane University spokesperson Michael Strecker told New Orleans-based outlet NOLA that the “prima

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