A truck overturned on an interstate highway in Mississippi, allowing twenty-one research monkeys to escape. This tragic event shines a light on the often unseen issues with shipping animals for research. A 54-year-old man from Cascade, Maryland, was driving a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck when it flipped. The original shooting occurred in a very rural area. Both the driver and his passenger, a 34-year-old man who lives in Thurmont, Maryland, escaped without injury, fortunately.
The monkeys had traveled on a flight from Mauritius and had just landed at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. FWS then flew the animals to a quarantine facility whose location is unknown. Just then, a truck crashed, sending them flying all over the street. Wooden crates, labeled “live monkeys,” poured out into the tall green grass beside the state highway, sparking an immediate rescue operation.
Recovery Efforts and Ongoing Investigation
As of this writing, we have pending recovery of 13 monkeys. Three are still missing and five were tragically killed in the crash. The Mississippi Highway Patrol has launched an investigation into the context of the incident. Federal authorities have not identified the company that transported the monkeys. Even more egregiously, they have concealed information about where the monkeys are going and who will own the babies.
This incident raises red flags not just for animal stewardship, but for public safety. It raises wider public safety and transparency concerns in the animal research industry. Lisa Jones-Engel, a former senior science adviser at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, raised alarm bells. What worries Caitlin the most is the secrecy surrounding the monkeys at the center of it all.
“When a truck carrying 21 monkeys crashes on a public highway, the community has a right to know who owned those animals, where they were being sent, and what diseases they may have been exposed to and harboured simply by being caught up in the primate experimentation industry.” – Lisa Jones-Engel
The people behind this transporting of monkeys are still under investigation as authorities work to recover all the monkeys and figure out how they were being transported.
A Pattern of Escapes
This event marks one of at least three significant monkey escapes in the United States over the past four years. A fatal crash involving a pickup towing a horse trailer and a barricaded dump truck on a Pennsylvania interstate in January 2022. As a result, more than 60 cynomolgus macaque monkeys were freed from the trailer. Incidents like this one reinforce the hazards of moving primates for research.
The animal welfare aspect of the recent crash garnered attention. Equally important is the impact on public safety. Even Georgia’s most right-wing, rabble-rousing U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene had to register her dismay over the episode, writing on X, “How tragic and shameful.” She concluded by making it clear that these sorts of practices should not be funded with taxpayer dollars.
“I’ve never met a taxpayer that wants their hard-earned dollars paying for animal abuse, nor who supports it.” – Marjorie Taylor Greene
Greene’s comments highlight an ongoing trend of growing anger among legislators directed at animal research, particularly focused on ethics.
The Secretive World of Animal Research
The issues raised by the transportation of these monkeys speak to a larger conversation about animal experimentation. A research center located in New Orleans has faced public criticism for their covert animal research practices. A testament to their burgeoning success in the field, this past January, this center opened a new 10,000-square-foot office building and laboratory along Brimbauper Boulevard.
While advocates for animal rights continue to push for greater transparency and humane treatment of research animals, incidents like this raise critical questions about existing regulations. Greene wrapped up her testimony by urging the need to change the way animals are treated throughout the research process.
“This needs to end!” – Marjorie Taylor Greene
The Mississippi monkey escape underscores the troubling reality of transporting animals for research. That’s an important reminder of just how critical accountability and oversight are in this complicated industry. As investigations continue, many await answers regarding the fate of the remaining monkeys and what this means for future practices in animal research transportation.
