A mother in Mississippi recently recounted how she shot and killed one of the monkeys that had escaped after a truck accident last week, driven by fears for her family’s safety and that of her neighbors.
Jessica Bond Ferguson shared with The Associated Press that she was in bed on Sunday when her 16-year-old son spotted a monkey darting across their yard in Heidelberg. Instinctively, she grabbed both her cellphone and a firearm before going outside, where she saw the monkey approximately 60 feet away.
The 35-year-old chef explained that she acted out of concern for the well-being of her five children, whose ages span from 4 to 16 years old.
“I did what any mother would do to protect her kids,” Bond Ferguson stated. “I fired a shot, and when it didn’t move, I shot again. It retreated, and then it went down.”
A monkey, one of the escapees, is pictured lounging in the grass on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Heidelberg, Miss. (Photo courtesy of Scotty Ray Report)
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that a local resident discovered one of the escaped monkeys on their property that morning. In a social media update, they mentioned that the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks had taken charge of the animal, though no additional information was provided.
Before Bond Ferguson stepped outside, she said she called police and was told to keep an eye on the monkey. But she hesitated, worried that if it got away, it could pose a threat to children at a nearby home.
Debris was seen near the scene of the Mississippi crash, as authorities tracked down the animals on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, in Heidelberg, Miss. (Photo courtesy of Scotty Ray Report)
“If it attacked somebody’s kid, and I could have stopped it, that would be a lot on me,” said Bond Ferguson. “It’s kind of scary and dangerous that they are running around, and people have kids playing in their yards.”
A truck transporting 21 Rhesus monkeys overturned Tuesday on Interstate 59 near Heidelberg, Mississippi, setting off a dayslong search for the escaped animals.
According to Tulane University, 13 monkeys were located at the crash site and successfully transported to their intended destination last week. Five were killed during the search effort, while three remained unaccounted for until one was recovered Sunday by a homeowner, officials said.
Two Rehsus monkeys remain on the loose as of Monday, with authorities cautioning residents the primates are “aggressive.” (Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, Mississippi)
The monkeys were housed at the Tulane National Primate Research Center in New Orleans, which supplies primates to scientific research organizations. In a statement, Tulane clarified that the animals were not owned by the university, nor were they being transported by university personnel.
Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson said initial reports from the truck’s occupants warned that the monkeys were dangerous and potentially carried diseases. However, Tulane officials later confirmed the monkeys had recently received health screenings and were pathogen-free.
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)
Despite that, Johnson noted that authorities still considered the animals a threat due to their aggressive nature and stated they needed to be “neutralized.”
The status of the two remaining at-large monkeys was unclear as of the latest update.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash, which occurred about 100 miles from Jackson, the state capital.
