Escaped lab monkey finds new home at New Jersey animal rescue
An animal rescue in Forked River, New Jersey, is giving a monkey destined for biomedical research a new home after it survived a truck crash in October.
The Popcorn Park Animal Refuge said the monkey, now named Forrest, was one of 21 monkeys being transported to a lab when the truck overturned on a highway in Mississippi. Of the three remaining monkeys that escaped, Forrest was the only one to survive, the rescue said.
Forrest was found safe after a week on the run, but couldn't return to the research program after spending too much time outside of the facility, so Popcorn Park said their team stepped in to give Forrest a new forever home.
The rescue said when he arrived, Forrest's only identification was a tattooed number, "N1 62." The facility said Forrest is getting to know his caretakers and building trust with his fellow monkey residents. He also started vocalizing, which, according to the refuge, is a good sign that he is becoming more comfortable in his new surroundings.
Ahn'yae Hedgepeth contributed to this report.