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Mississippi Mother Fatally Shoots Escaped Research Monkey as Two Remain Missing

Authorities report no infection risk, urging residents to avoid the animals.

Overview

  • After a truck transporting 21 rhesus macaques overturned near Heidelberg, multiple animals escaped into the area.
  • Homeowner Jessica Bond Ferguson told the Associated Press she shot a monkey in her yard Sunday, and state wildlife officials collected the animal.
  • Tulane University says the primates were not owned or transported by the university and recent checks showed they were not exposed to infectious agents.
  • Officials account for 13 monkeys delivered to their destination and five dead during the response, with two still unaccounted for.
  • Searches continue and investigators are reviewing the crash and early disease warnings reportedly given by the truck’s occupant.