A determined mother claims that authorities shot and killed one of the monkeys she was trying to find after it escaped from an overturned truck in Mississippi.
The incident occurred on Sunday when Jessica Bond Ferguson’s teenage son alerted her about a monkey near their home in Heidelberg, as reported.
The rhesus macaque was among 21 monkeys being transported, which had gotten loose following an accident on Interstate 59 earlier that week.
Bond Ferguson, a mother of five and a chef by profession, felt the need to act quickly when she spotted one of the monkeys in her yard.
Stepping outside with her cellphone and firearm, she saw the monkey about 60 feet away from her.
“I did what any mother would do to protect their children. I shot it, and at first it just stood there; then I shot again, it backed away, and that’s when it fell,” she explained.
Before taking action, she had called the police, who advised her to monitor the situation. However, her concern for the safety of local children weighed heavily on her mind. She expressed that it would have been devastating if the monkey had harmed someone else’s child, saying, “It’s scary to think of children playing outside with a loose animal around.”
When she initially confronted the monkey, she found it perplexing that it seemed unafraid and stared back at her.
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department later confirmed that they had been notified about a monkey on a homeowner’s property and that they were on the scene, stating, “The monkey is now under our control.” They did not provide additional information.
Tulane University announced that of the 21 monkeys involved, 13 were recovered and transported safely, but the event had tragic outcomes, with five fatalities reported and three individuals initially unaccounted for until one was located on Sunday.
The monkeys in question were part of the Tulane National Primate Research Center, and while the center emphasized they weren’t owned or dispatched by university staff, they are crucial for research purposes.
Footage from the crash site showed monkeys near a box labeled “Live Animals.”
Early reports raised concerns about potential dangers and diseases associated with the animals, but authorities later confirmed that the monkeys were not infected with any pathogens. Still, their aggressive nature posed a threat.
Currently, two monkeys remain unaccounted for.
