A truck transporting monkeys associated with Tulane University crashed, prompting law enforcement to take "appropriate action" based on what they were initially told, sheriff's officials said.

Three monkeys were still on the loose Wednesday in Mississippi after a truck carrying the research animals overturned.

Deputies said anyone handling the monkeys required PPE, or personal protective equipment, because the monkeys were carrying hepatitis C, herpes and COVID-19, all potentially serious viruses.