A homeowner in Mississippi has shot and killed one of the monkeys that escaped following a truck accident last week.
The woman discussed the incident.
Jessica Bond Ferguson stated she was alerted early Sunday by her 16-year-old son who reported he thought he had seen a monkey running in the yard outside their home near Heidelberg, Mississippi.
She had been warned the monkeys, which escaped several days ago after a truck accident, might carry diseases.
“I did what any other mother would do to protect her children,” Bond, who has five children ranging in age from 4 to 16, stated. “I shot at it and it just stood there, and I shot again, and he backed up and that’s when he fell.”
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office confirmed in a social media post that a homeowner had discovered one of the monkeys on their property Sunday morning but indicated the office didn’t have any details. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks took possession of the monkey, the sheriff’s office stated.
A truck carrying 21 Rhesus monkeys overturned Tuesday, October 28, on Interstate 59 in Mississippi. Most of the monkeys were killed, but three escaped.
Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson had stated Tulane officials reported the monkeys were not infectious, despite initial reports by the truck’s occupants warning that the monkeys were dangerous and harboring various diseases. Nonetheless, Johnson indicated the monkeys still needed to be “neutralized” because of their aggressive nature.
The early Sunday morning timing when Jessica Bond Ferguson’s teenage son spotted the monkey creating heightened alarm, with the predawn encounter at a rural Mississippi home amplifying fears about escaped primates potentially carrying diseases and exhibiting aggressive behavior that authorities warned could threaten public safety.
The 16-year-old son’s monkey sighting initially seeming implausible in Mississippi countryside where such exotic animals don’t naturally occur, with the teenager’s report requiring parental verification before Bond accepted that a genuinely dangerous escaped research primate was prowling near her family home.
The Heidelberg, Mississippi location placing the incident in rural Jasper County where residents maintain firearms for property protection and pest control, with the remote setting where law enforcement response times measure in tens of minutes rather than urban minutes creating self-reliance culture where homeowners handle threats themselves.
The disease transmission warnings Bond received creating legitimate health concerns beyond immediate physical danger, with Rhesus monkeys known to carry Herpes B virus that proves fatal to humans in 70% of untreated cases alongside other zoonotic diseases transmissible through bites, scratches, or contact with bodily fluids.
The “I did what any other mother would do” justification framing the shooting as protective maternal instinct rather than aggressive action, with Bond’s statement appealing to universal parenting values defending children from perceived threats regardless of legal or ethical questions about killing escaped research animals.
The five children ranging from 4 to 16 years old creating household with both young vulnerable kids and teenagers, with the age span intensifying maternal protective instincts knowing that small children couldn’t defend themselves against an aggressive monkey while older teens might recklessly approach the exotic animal out of curiosity.
The two-shot sequence where the monkey initially “just stood there” after the first round before retreating and falling after the second demonstrating either poor marksmanship with initial miss or wounding shot followed by fatal strike, with the animal’s momentary stillness possibly reflecting shock or assessment before attempting escape.
The social media confirmation by Jasper County Sheriff’s Office reflecting modern law enforcement communication practices, with the Facebook or similar platform announcement enabling rapid public notification about the recovered monkey while acknowledging information limitations during ongoing investigations.
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks taking possession indicating state wildlife authorities assumed custody of the monkey carcass, with the agency likely conducting necropsy examination to determine cause of death, assess disease status, and document the incident for regulatory compliance and potential legal proceedings.
The October 28 Interstate 59 truck accident originating the crisis when the vehicle carrying 21 Rhesus monkeys overturned, with the transportation incident killing most primates but allowing three to escape into rural Mississippi creating public safety emergency requiring law enforcement mobilization.
The Rhesus monkey species representing medium-sized Old World primates commonly used in biomedical research, with the macaque species’ physiological similarity to humans making them valuable laboratory subjects while also creating elevated disease transmission risks compared to New World monkey species less compatible with human pathogens.
The “most of the monkeys were killed” outcome from the truck accident indicating the crash’s violent nature, with 18 of 21 primates dying on impact or shortly thereafter suggesting high-speed collision or vehicle rollover that crushed transport cages killing animals while catastrophically damaging containment systems allowing survivors to escape.
The three escaped monkeys creating multi-day search operation taxing limited rural law enforcement resources, with the recovery of one through Bond’s shooting leaving two primates still at large potentially threatening additional homeowners and requiring continued public warnings and search efforts.
Sheriff Randy Johnson’s statement that “Tulane officials reported the monkeys were not infectious” contradicting earlier warnings creating dangerous confusion, with the conflicting information about disease risks potentially influencing Bond’s decision-making about whether to shoot or attempt containment awaiting professional animal control.
The Tulane University reference indicating the research institution owned or was receiving the monkeys, with the New Orleans-based university’s National Primate Research Center representing one of eight federally-funded facilities conducting biomedical studies using nonhuman primates for disease research.
The initial truck occupant warnings that monkeys were “dangerous and harboring various diseases” representing either legitimate concerns based on the animals’ research history or precautionary overstatements ensuring first responders took appropriate protective measures, with the alarming characterization potentially unnecessarily frightening local residents.
The conflicting disease status information where initial warnings of dangerous pathogens were subsequently contradicted by Tulane’s “not infectious” assessment creating public confusion about actual health risks, with the mixed messages potentially exposing officials to liability if remaining escaped monkeys subsequently transmit diseases to people who were falsely reassured about safety.
The “neutralized” terminology Sheriff Johnson used euphemistically describing lethal force as necessary response, with the language typically reserved for military or law enforcement contexts suggesting authorities viewed the escaped research primates as threats requiring elimination rather than valuable animals warranting capture and return.
The aggressive nature justification for neutralization orders indicating behavioral concerns beyond disease transmission, with Rhesus monkeys’ documented territorial aggression, strong bite force, and sharp teeth creating legitimate attack risks especially if animals felt cornered or threatened during capture attempts.
The legal questions surrounding whether Bond faces any consequences for shooting the monkey, with wildlife regulations, animal cruelty statutes, and property protection laws creating complex legal framework where her actions might be simultaneously justifiable under self-defense doctrines while potentially violating protections for research animals or endangered species.
The two remaining escaped monkeys creating ongoing public safety concerns requiring continued vigilance, with Bond’s shooting demonstrating that rural residents won’t wait for professional animal control if they perceive threats to their families regardless of official guidance about disease status or capture priorities.
The broader regulatory questions about research animal transportation after the accident exposed risks, with the incident potentially triggering federal reviews of primate transport protocols, vehicle safety standards, and emergency response procedures when dangerous research subjects escape during transit.
The public relations challenge for Tulane and the broader research community where monkey escapes and subsequent shooting generates negative publicity about primate research, with animal rights activists potentially using the incident to advocate for laboratory restrictions despite biomedical community arguments about research necessity.
