Mississippi Woman Fatally Shoots Escaped Research Monkey Amid Safety Fears

Following a truck accident on Interstate 59 in Mississippi that overturned a vehicle transporting 21 Rhesus monkeys, three monkeys escaped, prompting local concern. Jessica Bond Ferguson, a Heidelberg resident, fatally shot one escaped monkey early Sunday after her son spotted it near their home and due to warnings about potential diseases the monkeys might carry. The Jasper County Sheriff's Office confirmed the incident and stated the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks took custody of the monkey. Authorities reported most of the monkeys died in the crash, with some being recaptured and returned to their owner, whose identity and the animals' destination remain confidential. Tulane University, whose National Biomedical Research Center housed the monkeys, clarified they did not own or transport these specific primates and that the animals were disease-free before transport. The cause of the crash is under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol and other agencies.