hree out of the four lab monkeys on the loose after a Friday tractor-trailer crash have been caught, but one is still on the loose, authorities said.
As of Saturday morning authorities are still searching for one monkey, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Trooper Andrea Pelachick said civilians should not try looking for the monkey or approaching it if seen. Instead, any sightings should immediately be reported by calling state police at 570-524-2662.
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A tractor-trailer hauling 100 lab monkeys crashed with a dump truck Friday afternoon on Route 54 near the Danville exit of Interstate 80 in Montour County, state police said.
It is unclear if any people or monkeys were hurt in the crash.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are involved in the search.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released the following statement after the crash and escape:
“Because these 100 long-tailed macaque monkeys were headed to a laboratory to be caged, tormented, and killed, they were already in danger — but now the public is, too. The four who got away are undoubtedly terrified and likely injured, and they may be harboring viruses that are transmissible 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 U.S. have been found with
tuberculosis, Chagas disease, cholera, and MRSA.
The only way to ensure that pathogens don’t jump from monkeys to humans is to stop importing, caging, and experimenting on these animals.” (That we know of).