A homeowner in Mississippi shot and killed one of the escaped monkeys from a truck that overturned on a roadway. Jessica Bond Ferguson, fearing for her children’s safety, fired her gun after seeing the monkey in her yard near Heidelberg. The monkey, part of a group that was being transported and had escaped, was later taken by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.
Authorities have not disclosed details about the company transporting the monkeys or their destination. The monkeys, originally from the Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center, were involved in scientific research and were not owned or transported by the university. The truck carrying the monkeys overturned, resulting in several casualties among the primates.
Sheriff Randy Johnson emphasized the need to “neutralize” the monkeys due to their aggressive nature, despite reports confirming they were not infectious. The search for the escaped monkeys involved collaboration between wildlife agencies and law enforcement. This incident recalls a similar escape of Rhesus macaques in South Carolina due to an enclosure oversight at a breeding facility.
