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Mississippi woman fatally shoots escaped research monkey citing child safety concerns
A Mississippi mother shot and killed one of the rhesus monkeys that escaped after a transport truck overturned last weekend, stating she feared for her children's safety amid warnings the animals might carry diseases.
Incident details and resident response
Jessica Bond Ferguson, a 35-year-old mother of five, told the Associated Press she acted after her 16-year-old son alerted her to a monkey in their backyard. Armed with a gun and her phone, Ferguson confronted the animal about 60 feet (18 meters) away. "I shot at it and it just stood there, and I shot again, and he backed up and that's when he fell," she recounted, adding, "I did what any other mother would do to protect her children."
The Jasper County Sheriff's Department confirmed a local resident had "encountered" one of the escaped monkeys, which was later retrieved by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.
Origin and confusion over escaped monkeys
The monkeys were part of a shipment destined for Tulane University's National Primate Research Center in Louisiana, where they were intended for biomedical research. Tulane officials clarified in a statement that the university "did not transport or own the nonhuman primates at the time of the incident," though it dispatched a team of animal care experts to assist authorities.
Videos circulating online showed the rhesus monkeys-commonly used in infectious disease and vaccine studies-moving through grass near the overturned truck on a Mississippi highway. Wooden crates labeled "live animals" were visible at the scene.
Health risks and official statements
Ferguson said residents had been warned the monkeys might carry diseases, though Tulane University later stated the animals "did not have any infectious agent." The university did not elaborate on the cause of the truck overturn or the total number of monkeys involved, contributing to ongoing confusion.
"I did what any other mother would do to protect her children."
Jessica Bond Ferguson, Mississippi resident
Unresolved questions
Key details remain unclear, including the exact number of monkeys transported, their ownership at the time of the crash, and the circumstances leading to the truck's overturn. Authorities have yet to release a full account of the incident or confirm whether all escaped monkeys have been recovered.
