In Mississippi, officials reported the shooting of a second monkey, a week following its escape from an overturned vehicle.
Sheriff Randy Johnson of Jasper County disclosed that a passerby shot the monkey after spotting it crossing a highway on Monday. The animal was located roughly a mile away from where a truck carrying 21 rhesus monkeys had crashed in Heidelberg, Mississippi.
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks announced in a press release that one monkey remains missing. The accident on October 28 resulted in the escape of eight monkeys, with five being recaptured near the crash site.
On Sunday, another monkey was fatally shot by a local woman concerned about potential danger to her children and neighbors.
A photograph captured one of the monkey escapees after the incident. (Image courtesy of Scotty Ray Report)
Jessica Bond Ferguson shared with The Associated Press that she was awakened by her 16-year-old son who reported seeing a monkey darting across their yard.
Ferguson, who has five children, got her gun and shot the monkey, which was about 60 feet away.
“I did what any other mother would do to protect her children,” Ferguson said. “I shot at it and it just stood there, and I shot again, and he backed up and that’s when he fell.”
Debris was seen near the scene of the Mississippi crash, as authorities tracked down the animals. (Photo courtesy of Scotty Ray Report)
The mother said she feared for her kids and other children in the community.
“If it attacked somebody’s kid, and I could have stopped it, that would be a lot on me,” Ferguson said. “It’s kind of scary and dangerous that they are running around, and people have kids playing in their yards.”
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a homeowner found one of the monkeys on their property, adding that the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks took custody of the animal, but didn’t provide additional details.
Monkeys could be seen next to crates after the crash, which left five animals dead. (Photo courtesy of Scotty Ray Report)
The truck carrying 21 rhesus monkeys overturned on Oct. 28 on Interstate 59, triggering what would become a search that has lasted over a week.
The monkeys came from the Tulane National Primate Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which gives primates to scientific research organizations. Tulane said the monkeys weren’t owned by the university and personnel from the institution weren’t transporting them.
People in protective clothing search along a highway in Heidelberg, Miss., Wednesday, near the site of an overturned truck that was carrying research monkeys. (AP Photo/Sophie Bates)
Johnson initially said the monkeys potentially carried diseases, but university officials later confirmed the monkeys were pathogen-free.
