JASPER COUNTY, Miss. - Authorities in Mississippi said several monkeys "have been destroyed" but three are still on the loose after a truck carrying the animals crashed on Tuesday.

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In a Facebook post , the Jasper County Sheriff's Department previously said the rhesus monkeys carried Hepatitis C, herpes and COVID and were deemed to be "aggressive to humans," requiring personal protective equipment to handle them.

The sheriff's officer later clarified the comments with a statement from Tulane University that the monkeys were not infected.

Deputies said the truck carrying the animals crashed on Interstate 59 near mile marker 117.

They have been in contact with an animal disposal company to find the remaining monkey who escaped.

"Non-human primates at the Tulane National B

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