Mississippi Woman Shoots Escaped Research Monkey to Protect Her Children Following Transport Accident

Video footage captured monkeys navigating through tall grass following the accident.

A Mississippi woman shot and killed one of the escaped monkeys on Sunday morning after a truck transporting them overturned last week. Jessica Bond Ferguson took action when she feared for her children's safety.

Ferguson's 16-year-old son alerted her to a monkey running in their yard near Heidelberg, Mississippi. She immediately armed herself and went outside, spotting the monkey approximately 60 feet away.

Concerned about diseases the monkeys reportedly carried, Ferguson made the decision to shoot. "I acted as any mother would to protect her children," explained Ferguson, who has five children between ages 4 and 16. "After my first shot, it remained standing. When I fired again, it backed up and fell."

The Jasper County Sheriff's Office confirmed via social media that a homeowner had encountered one of the escaped monkeys on their property Sunday morning. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks took possession of the animal afterward.

The Rhesus monkeys were being transported to the Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which provides primates to scientific research organizations. Tulane University stated that the monkeys were not their property nor were they handling the transportation.

The accident occurred Tuesday on Interstate 59 north of Heidelberg when the transport truck overturned. Officials reported that most of the 21 monkeys died in the crash, with three escaping from the scene. The Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the accident, which happened approximately 100 miles from Jackson, the state capital.

Rhesus monkeys typically weigh around 16 pounds and are extensively used in medical research. Video from the crash site showed monkeys moving through tall grass alongside the interstate, with damaged wooden crates labeled "live animals" scattered around the area.

Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson clarified that Tulane officials had confirmed the monkeys were not infectious, contradicting initial reports from the truck occupants who warned the animals were dangerous and carried various diseases. However, Johnson noted the monkeys still needed to be "neutralized" due to their aggressive nature.

Tulane released a statement Wednesday confirming the monkeys had recently received health examinations verifying they were pathogen-free.

About a decade ago, three Rhesus macaques at what was then called the Tulane National Primate Research Center were euthanized following a "biosecurity breach." Federal inspectors reported in 2015 that at least one staff member had failed to follow proper biosafety and infection control procedures. The facility subsequently updated its protocols and retrained staff.

According to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Rhesus macaques are known for their aggressive behavior. Conservation workers from the agency assisted sheriff's officials in the search for the escaped animals.

This incident comes approximately one year after 43 Rhesus macaques escaped from Alpha Genesis, a South Carolina facility that breeds them for medical research. That escape occurred when an employee failed to properly secure an enclosure, prompting staff to set up traps to recapture the animals.