Escaped monkeys in Mississippi 'aren't infectious,' Tulane University says

In October 2025, a claim (archived) circulated online that monkeys carrying COVID-19, herpes and hepatitis C escaped after a truck transporting the animals crashed in Mississippi. 

One Instagram user wrote, "Aggressive virus-infected monkeys carrying COVID, Herpes & hepatitis C on the loose after truck carrying them crashed in Mississippi"

 

 

 

 

 

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The claim also circulated on X (archived), Facebook (archived), Threads (archived) and Reddit (archived). Snopes readers searched our site to find more information about the claim.

Jasper County Sheriff's Department in Mississippi first reported (archived) that a truck "carrying Rehsus monkeys from Tulane University" had crashed on the Interstate 59 on Oct. 28, 2025. According to the department's post, the animals that escaped from inside were "aggressive" and "carry hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID."

Tulane University said in a statement (archived) on X on that same date that "The primates in question belong to another entity & aren't infectious." 

In an updated statement on Oct. 29, a university spokesperson added, "On Oct. 28, a vehicle was transporting 21 Rhesus Macaques when an accident occurred on I-59 in Mississippi. The nonhuman primates were not being transported by Tulane, not owned by Tulane, and not in Tulane's custody. The primates in question were not carrying any diseases and had received recent checkups confirming that they were pathogen-free."

Given the above, though a truck carrying research animals did crash in Jackson County, Mississippi, we rate the claim that the animals carried any of the named diseases, which are all infectious, false.

Jasper County Sheriff's Department later posted (archived) on Facebook that "The driver of the truck told local law enforcement that the monkeys were dangerous and posed a threat to humans." 

The department initially said it had "destroyed" all but one of the escaped monkeys but amended the number of animals on the loose to three after Tulane University officials arrived at the scene and were able to establish how many monkeys had been in the crashed truck.

Herpes and hepatitis C spread through skin-to-skin contact or exposure to infected blood respectively. COVID-19, an airborne virus, can spread from animals to humans but the risk is considered low, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rhesus monkeys are native to Asia. They measure up to 25 inches and can weigh up to 24 pounds. The monkeys are "docile" when young but can become "bad-tempered" as they grow, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. They are commonly used in research.