Four monkeys on the loose in Danville after accident

If you're in Danville, be on the lookout for four monkeys.

They escaped Friday afternoon in Montour County after a crash between a truck carrying a trailer and a dump truck this afternoon a little after 4 p.m.

The three small monkeys were part of about 100 animals who were on their way to a lab when the crash occurred on Route 54 near Interstate 80. The road reopened shortly before 7 p.m., according to the Daily Item.

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Anyone who sees the monkeys are encouraged to call state police at 570-524-2662.

PETA response

Upon hearing about the accident, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released a statement about the monkeys. Their advice: be careful.

"Because these 100 long-tailed macaque monkeys were headed to a laboratory to be caged, tormented, and killed, they were already in danger — but now the public is, too," the statement from PETA said. "The four who got away are undoubtedly terrified and likely injured, and they may be harboring viruses that are transmissible to humans.

"There is no way to ensure that monkeys are virus-free, and state veterinary and other records show that monkeys in laboratories in the U.S. have been found with tuberculosis, Chagas disease, cholera, and MRSA. The only way to ensure that pathogens don’t jump from monkeys to humans is to stop importing, caging, and experimenting on these animals."