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Pa. monkey truck crash spawns conspiracy theories after woman at scene falls ill
https://www.pennlive.com/crime/2022/01/pa-monkey-truck-crash-spawns-conspiracy-theories-after-woman-at-scene-falls-ill.html
A Pa. woman first on the scene of last week’s lab monkey truck crash near Danville is now the center of online conspiracy theories after falling ill.
The Daily Mail reports the woman, Michele Fallon who lives near Danville, Pa., is now suffering symptoms after one of the cynomolgus macaque monkeys “hissed” in her face.
On her Facebook page and in interviews, Fallon said she suddenly developed a cough, runny nose and pink-eye the day following the accident. The pink-eye became so bad, she sought emergency room treatment at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, the Daily Mail reported.
According to the CDC, this species commonly spreads herpes virus B through saliva, feces or urine, PAHomepage.com reports.
PETA, the animal rights group, has called for an investigation into the incident. The group, known formally as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, issued a press release saying Fallon “got an eyeful of monkey saliva that has caused a reaction. She’s now on antiviral drugs and medication to protect against rabies.”
Among the treatments Fallon received was a rabies shot.
But PETA fears other people in the area could have been exposed, adding this in its latest news release:
“Feces and urine from the terrified monkeys were reportedly smeared across the highway as crates—that weren’t strapped in as required—tumbled from the truck. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should be scrambling to ensure that numerous other people who were at the scene aren’t in danger.”
The Atlanta-based CDC is providing “technical assistance” to state police in Pennsylvania, the Associated Press reported.
Anyone who had contact with one of the primates, which were headed for the lab, was being advised to contact their health provider.
Proper guidelines were followed when 3 escaped lab monkeys were killed after Pa. crash: police
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2022/01/euthanasia-guidelines-followed-when-3-escaped-monkeys-were-killed-police.html
DANVILLE – The fatal shooting of three lab monkeys that escaped Friday following an accident near Danville took place in accordance with euthanasia guidelines from the American Veterinary Medical Association, state police say.
The cynomolgus macaques were shot immediately when located, Trooper Andrea E. Pelachick said Wednesday. She did not provide additional details.
The decision to kill them was made in the interest of public health and safety of the first responders on the scene, she said.
It was a coordinated decision involving personnel from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state Health Department and state police, she said.
Frigid weather conditions and the time-sensitive need to limit public exposure to the animals led to the decision to use firearms, Pelachick said.
“It was determined there was a risk of the wild animals potentially causing infection through bite, scratch, bodily fluids or by possible airborne disease transmission,” Pelachick said.
Troopers handling the euthanized monkeys used appropriate personal protective equipment, she said.
None of those involved in the investigation has developed any medical symptoms, and they remain on duty, she said.
The CDC on Tuesday would only confirm the three monkeys had been killed by gunshot.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had acknowledged that shooting is considered a humane method of killing when the gunshot is properly placed to cause immediate insensibility and death.
The three euthanized primates were among 100 being transported in a trailer pulled by a pickup truck from New York’s JFK Airport to an unknown quarantine facility.
They had been imported from Mauritus, an island in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of Africa.
The accident between the pickup driven by Cody M. Brooks, 31, of Keystone Heights, Florida, and a large dump truck operated by Tyler G. Deeghan, 29 of Canton, occurred shortly after 3 p.m. Friday on Route 54 at the Interstate 80 interchange.
The impact caused the trailer to separate from the pickup and the front panel broke away, causing crates containing the monkeys to be strewn across the roadway.
It took until Saturday evening to recapture the monkeys that escaped when a crate broke open.
Brooks was issued a written warning related to violation of the section of the Vehicle Code dealing with turns and signals.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has agreed to look into the treatment of the cynomolgus macaques at the scene, said Quebedeaux’s Transport of Arnaudville, Louisiana, had an active license to transport the animals.