Lab monkey on the loose in Pennsylvania after pickup truck crashes en route to laboratory

Following an accident involving a pickup truck that was carrying 100 apes, citizens of Pennsylvania county in the United States were told on Saturday not to approach a loose monkey that was still missing. According to The Guardian, several monkeys had escaped when the pickup truck which was taking those animals to a research facility, collided with a dump truck. But one remained unaccounted for as of Saturday morning, according to authorities. On the way to Florida, the pickup truck driver collided outside of Danville, Pennsylvania, on Friday, New York Post reported.  

After the Friday afternoon incident on a state highway nearby an Interstate 80 exit in Montour County, state police warned people not to search for or catch the cynomolgus monkey. As per the tweet, “Anyone who sees or locates the monkey is asked not to approach, attempt to catch or come in contact with the monkey. Please call 911 immediately.” In the bitter cold, the Pennsylvania Game Commission as well as other organisations have been looking for the animal. 

Cynomolgus monkeys are often used in medical experiments

In addition to this, three lab monkeys which escaped were dead after being euthanised, according to an email by Kristen Nordlund, a spokesman for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  After reaching Friday morning at New York's Kennedy Airport from Mauritius, the batch of monkeys was on its way to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-approved quarantine facility, police said. 

Furthermore, the lab's location and the sort of study for which the apes were destined are unknown, however, cynomolgus monkeys are often utilised in medical experiments. They are the most extensively utilised primate in preclinical toxicological investigations, according to a report published on the National Center for Biotechnology Information's website, The Guardian reported.  

According to Trooper Laura Lesher, state police have secured the location for the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the US CDC. 

As per the state police collision investigation, the truck drivers were unharmed, and a passenger was taken to a medical centre for examination of suspected minor injuries, as per Associated Press. Following the accident, troopers looked for lab monkeys with weapons in hand, and crates were seen littering the route. According to the Press Enterprise, Valley Township firemen utilised thermal imaging to find the animals, with the help of a helicopter.