Escaped lab monkey finds new home at New Jersey animal sanctuary
A rhesus macaque that spent a week on the run in Mississippi in late October is finally settling into a new home more than 990 miles from the original site of its escape. Popcorn Park Wildlife Sanctuary in Forked River, New Jersey, is now caring for Forrest, a young monkey from the Tulane National Primate Research Center in Covington, Louisiana.
“The secret is out!” » Popcorn Park published on social networks on December 2.
Forrest’s stressful saga began on October 28, 2025, when a transport truck crashed along Interstate 65 while transporting 21 monkeys from the Tulane Primate Research Center to a Florida biomedical research facility. Although initial reports suggested the animals carried hepatitis C, herpes and COVID-19, Tulane later clarified that none of the monkeys were contagious. Regardless, rhesus macaques can weigh up to 40 pounds and are often aggressive toward humans. Residents in the surrounding area have been advised to stay as far away from the monkeys as possible.
While eight of the 21 macaques escaped from their enclosures the day after the collision, authorities located and euthanized all of them, except for one monkey initially designated “NI 62,” within hours. NI 62 spent approximately a week at large in southeastern Mississippi before being located and safely recovered. Now named Forrest, the monkey spent the weeks following his recapture recovering from a small injury sustained to the bridge of his nose during the ordeal.
“Because he had spent a significant amount of time away from the facility, he could not return to the research program,” Popcorn Park said in its statement. “That’s when our team stepped in to provide him with shelter for the rest of his life.”
In addition to acclimating to his new environment, shelter officials wrote that Forrest discovered he liked grapes and began vocalizing, “a good sign that he is becoming more comfortable and confident in his new environment.”
Besides grapes, Forrest is also said to be a fan of peanuts.
“He will very kindly come and take these peanuts from us,” Popcorn Park Executive Director Cory Scott told NJ.com.
The rhesus macaque escape from Mississippi is reminiscent of a similar situation last year. In November 2024, 43 monkeys managed to escape a biomedical animal shelter in South Carolina nicknamed “Monkey Farm.” In this case, all the escapees were eventually recaptured.
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