Monkey who escaped Mississippi highway crash has new permanent home at New Jersey refuge

A monkey who spent several days on the lam after escaping from a truck that crashed on a rural Mississippi highway earlier this year now has a permanent home at a New Jersey wildlife refuge.

Forrest, a young adult rhesus macaque, was among 21 monkeys being transported for biomedical research when the truck they were in overturned Oct. 28 on Interstate 59, just north of Heidelberg, Mississippi.

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Five monkeys were killed as law officers searched for them in the immediate aftermath of the crash. Video from officers’ body cameras showed a chaotic scene as monkeys that escaped from their wooden crates dashed around the grassy interstate median, with some running toward cars and semitrailers on the interstate.

Forrest and two other monkeys eluded officers at the crash site and eventually escaped. The other two were later shot and killed by civilians, who said they were protecting their families and neighborhoods, while Forrest spent about a week on the run before being spotted by a resident who lives near the crash scene. He was captured by workers from one of the companies that had been transporting the truckload of monkeys, officials have said.

Residents had been told not to approach the Rhesus monkeys, saying they are known to be aggressive.

In search of a new home, Forrest was recently relocated to the nonprofit Popcorn Park Animal Refuge in Lacey Township, N.J. Officials there say he has steadily acclimated himself to his new surroundings and gradually built trust with his caretakers. His diet includes a commercial animal kibble, grapes and peanuts.

The animal refuge is seeking donations to help fund the monkey’s care.