Monkey truck Mississippi latest: Mother shoots, kills one fearing for her children
Authorities in Mississippi have captured one of several monkeys that escaped after a truck carrying 21 rhesus monkeys crashed last month near Heidelberg. (Credit: Jasper County Sheriff's Office)
JASPER COUNTY, Miss. - A homeowner in Mississippi has shot and killed one of the monkeys that escaped after a truck accident last week.
The woman spoke to The Associated Press about what happened.
Mother shoots escaped monkey in Mississippi
What happened:
Jessica Bond Ferguson said she was alerted early Sunday by her 16-year-old son who said he thought he had seen a monkey running in the yard outside their home near Heidelberg, Mississippi.
She had been warned the monkeys, which escaped several days ago after a truck accident, might carry diseases.
READ MORE: Truck carrying research monkeys crashes in Mississippi — three still missing
What they're saying:
"I did what any other mother would do to protect her children," Bond, who has five children ranging in age from 4 to 16, told The Associated Press. "I shot at it and it just stood there, and I shot again, and he backed up and that's when he fell."
The Jasper County Sheriff's Office confirmed in a social media post that a homeowner had found one of the monkeys on their property Sunday morning but said the office didn't have any details. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks took possession of the monkey, the sheriff's office said.
Monkeys escape truck accident
Monkeys on the loose in Mississippi
A truck carrying rhesus monkeys crashed in Jasper County, Mississippi, leaving three missing. Initial reports from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department suggested the monkeys carried infectious diseases but later clarified that the animals were not infected.
The backstory:
A truck carrying 21 Rhesus monkeys overturned Tuesday, Oct. 28, on Interstate 59 in Mississippi. Most of the monkeys were killed, but three escaped.
Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson had said Tulane officials reported the monkeys were not infectious, despite initial reports by the truck’s occupants warning that the monkeys were dangerous and harboring various diseases. Nonetheless, Johnson said the monkeys still needed to be "neutralized" because of their aggressive nature.
The Source: Information in this article came from a witness account from the woman, as told to The Associated Press, and from a social media post from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department. Background information was taken from The Associated Press and previous Fox Television Station reporting. This story was reported from Detroit.