One of the monkeys that escaped last week after a truck overturned on a Mississippi roadway was shot and killed early Sunday by a woman who says she feared for the safety of her children.
Bond Ferguson said she and other residents had been warned about diseases that the escaped monkeys carried, so she fired her gun.
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks took possession of the monkey, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s department has said animal experts from Tulane examined the trailer and had determined three monkeys had escaped.
Rhesus monkeys typically weigh about 16 pounds and are among the most medically studied animals on the planet.
A woman who claims she was afraid for her children’s safety shot and killed one of the monkeys that escaped last week after a truck overturned on a Mississippi road.
Jessica Bond Ferguson reported that her 16-year-old son informed her early on Sunday that he believed he had seen a monkey running in the yard outside their Heidelberg, Mississippi, home. She saw the monkey about sixty feet away after getting out of bed, grabbing her gun and cellphone, and going outside.
Bond Ferguson claimed that she fired her gun because she and other residents had been informed about the diseases that the escaped monkeys carried.
Bond Ferguson, whose five children range in age from four to sixteen, said to The Associated Press, “I did what any other mother would do to protect her children.”. “I fired at it, but it just stood there. Then I fired again, and he retreated, which caused him to fall. The “.
In a social media post, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged that a homeowner had discovered one of the monkeys on their property on Sunday morning. However, the office stated that it lacked further information. The monkey was given to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to the university, the Rhesus monkeys were kept at the Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which frequently supplies primates to scientific research institutions. Tulane said in a statement released last week that the monkeys are not university property and were not being transported by the university.
Rhesus macaque primates have red faces and ears, and their fur is brown. Their highly expressive faces are highlighted by the close-cropped hair on their heads. According to the New England Primate Conservancy, they were brought to the US in the 1970s for use in labs for biomedical research. According to the conservancy, rhesus macaques are “bold, extremely curious and adventurous monkeys,” and they are “highly adaptable to coexisting alongside humans.”.
On Tuesday, a truck transporting the monkeys capsized on Interstate 59, north of Heidelberg. According to the authorities, the majority of the 21 monkeys perished. According to the sheriff’s office, three monkeys had escaped after Tulane animal specialists looked at the trailer.
The crash happened approximately 100 miles from Jackson, the state capital, and the Mississippi Highway Patrol has stated that it is looking into what caused it.
Rhesus monkeys are among the most extensively researched animals in medicine and typically weigh around 16 pounds. Monkeys were seen crawling through the tall grass next to the interstate, where wooden crates marked “live animals” were crumpled and scattered, according to footage captured after the collision.
Although the truck’s occupants had initially warned that the monkeys were dangerous and harboring various diseases, Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson stated that Tulane officials had reported the monkeys were not contagious. Johnson claimed that despite this, the monkeys still needed to be “neutralized” due to their hostile behavior.
“The primates in question were not carrying any diseases and had received recent checkups confirming that they were pathogen-free,” according to a second statement released on Wednesday by Tulane spokesperson Andrew Yawn.
According to a 2015 report by federal inspectors, a “biosecurity breach” led to the euthanasia of three Rhesus macaques in the breeding colony of the Tulane National Primate Research Center approximately ten years ago. According to the report, at least one employee disregarded biosafety and infection control protocols.
According to the U.S. report, the facility retrained employees and changed its protocols after that. To S. Plant Health Inspection Service for Animals.
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks states that rhesus macaques “are known to be aggressive.”. It stated that sheriff’s officials and the agency’s conservation staff were collaborating to find the animals.
