One monkey that fled last week following a truck rollover in Mississippi was fatally shot by a homeowner on Sunday morning due to safety concerns for her children. Jessica Bond Ferguson, alerted by her son, encountered the monkey near her Heidelberg, Miss., home, prompting her to shoot it after warnings about the monkeys carrying diseases. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed the incident, with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks taking custody of the monkey.
The truck transporting the monkeys, which overturned on Interstate 59 north of Heidelberg, caused the death of most monkeys onboard, with three reported to have escaped. Authorities are investigating the crash’s cause, located about 160 kilometers from the state capital, Jackson. Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson emphasized the need to ‘neutralize’ the monkeys due to their aggressive nature, despite reports stating they were not infectious and had recently received pathogen-free checkups.
Rhesus macaques, weighing about seven kilograms and commonly used in medical studies, were seen post-accident roaming near the interstate among scattered crates labeled “live animals.” The monkeys’ escape follows a similar incident in South Carolina where 43 monkeys fled a compound due to an employee error. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, in collaboration with local authorities, are actively searching for the escaped monkeys.
Efforts to contain the situation are ongoing as authorities work to ensure the safety of the public and prevent any potential threats posed by the escaped monkeys.