A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesperson recently announced via email that the three lab monkeys that escaped in Pennsylvania after that truck that carried them crashed were recaptured on Saturday evening and later killed.
A Futurism report specified that the story of the said escape of the three monkeys had gone viral and many people took to social media to express their support for the "simian deserters." The said announcement via email from the CDC did not elaborate on the reason the monkeys were killed.
The three creatures were aboard a transport truck that carried 100 cynomolgus macaque monkeys. The large vehicle was on its way to a quarantine facility of the CDC when the crash took place.
To summarize, a truckload of lab monkeys intended for what reports describe as a "mysterious experiment" on their way to the CDC quarantine facility, and some of them escaped.
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The Escape
On Saturday, Pennsylvania county residents were warned not to come near a monkey still missing following a crash that involved a pickup towing a trailer carrying approximately 100 of the animals to an experiment lab.
A report from The New York Times specified that state troopers urged people not to look for, or attempt to catch the cynomolgus monkey after the Friday afternoon crash on a state highway close to an Interstate 80 exit in Montour county.
As indicated in a Twitter post, anyone seeing or locating the monkey is cautioned "not to approach, attempt to capture" or come in contact with the said monkey. People are urged to call 911 immediately if they ever encounter the monkey.
Several monkeys escaped after the crash between a dump truck and the pickup, although according to officials, as of Saturday morning, only one of the said animals stayed unaccounted for.
For Medical Research
The Pennsylvania Game Commission, as well as other agencies, were in search of the monkey under freezing weather. Andrea Pelachick, a state trooper said, the large vehicle had been on its way to the laboratory.
Moreover, the lab's location, as well as the type of research for which the monkeys were destined were not clear, although cynomolgus monkeys are frequently used in medical research.
A paper uploaded on the National Center for Biotechnology Information website refers to the said animals as the most commonly used primate in preclinical toxicology studies.
According to Trooper Laura Lesher, state police had the scene secured for the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the CDC. Meanwhile, the motorists' condition at that time, was not clear, nor was it clear if such citations had been used.
'Unharmed' Drivers, Passenger Slightly Inured
As indicated in an NPR report, the trucks' drivers were not harmed, and a passenger was brought to a medical center to undergo treatment.
Michelle Fallon, who witnessed the crash said, she spoke with the driver of the pickup. She added she was also able to talk to a passenger after the crash.
After she talked to the driver, Fallon said the latter "appeared to be disoriented," and the passenger thought his legs might have been injured.
Report about the escaped lab monkeys is shown on TODAY's YouTube video below:
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