The airline that transported a group of monkeys to the United States before a truck carrying them to a lab in Pennsylvania slammed into a dump truck has vowed it will no longer transport primates to the U.S.
Kenya Airways will not renew its contract with a breeding farm on Mauritius in light of the crash, which unfolded on Jan. 21, airline CEO Allan Kilavuka said in a statement on Tuesday. He did not identify the shipper who paid the airline to fly the animals from the island nation, located in the Indian Ocean, to JFK Airport.
From there, the monkeys were placed in a truck that later crashed on State Route 54 near the Danville exit of Interstate 80, according to Pennsylvania state troopers. Several monkeys were able to escape amid the chaos, including one that was recaptured at the scene. Three more of the animals remained missing until the following night — they were ultimately found and euthanized.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which assisted local authorities after the crash and escape of some of the monkeys, said Tuesday that the monkeys are at an approved quarantine facility, but declined to say where exactly.
The missing primates were members of the cynomolgus species, which typically come with a $10,000 price tag and are often used for scientific research. There has been an increased demand for the monkeys as of late, particularly for the testing of COVID-19 vaccines.
With News Wire Services
