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Authorities in Mississippi said a second monkey was shot and killed a week after they escaped from an overturned truck.
Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson said an individual shot the monkey after seeing it cross a highway on Monday. It was found around a mile from the site of a truck crash involving 21 rhesus monkeys in Heidelberg, Mississippi.
In a news release, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks said one monkey is still unaccounted for. The Oct. 28 crash led to the escape of eight monkeys from the truck. Five of the eight monkeys were recovered at the scene of the crash.
Another monkey was killed on Sunday by a mother who feared it posed a threat to her children and people who live nearby.
ESCAPED MONKEYS FROM MISSISSIPPI TRUCK CRASH PUTS SPOTLIGHT ON NIH-FUNDED TULANE LAB
One monkey escapee was photographed after the crash. (Photo courtesy of Scotty Ray Report)
Jessica Bond Ferguson told the Associated Press she was in bed when her 16-year-old son told her there was a monkey running through their yard.
Ferguson, who has five children, got her gun and shot the monkey, who was about 60 feet away.
“I did what any other mother would do to protect her children,” Ferguson said. “I shot at it and it just stood there, and I shot again, and he backed up and that’s when he fell.”
MISSISSIPPI MOM SAYS SHE SHOT AND KILLED AT-LARGE MONKEY TO PROTECT HER CHILDREN
Debris was seen near the scene of the Mississippi crash, as authorities tracked down the animals. (Photo courtesy of Scotty Ray Report)
The mother said she feared for her kids and other children in the community.
“If it attacked somebody’s kid, and I could have stopped it, that would be a lot on me,” Ferguson said. “It’s kind of scary and dangerous that they are running around, and people have kids playing in their yards.”
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a homeowner found one of the monkeys on their property, adding that the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks took custody of the animal, but didn’t provide additional details.
ESCAPED MONKEY CAPTURED BY AUTHORITIES DAYS AFTER TRUCK CRASH FLIPS VEHICLE IN MISSISSIPPI
Monkeys could be seen next to crates after the crash, which left five animals dead. (Photo courtesy of Scotty Ray Report)
The truck carrying 21 rhesus monkeys overturned on Oct. 28 on Interstate 59, triggering what would become a search that has lasted over a week.
The monkeys came from the Tulane National Primate Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which gives primates to scientific research organizations. Tulane said the monkeys weren’t owned by the university and personnel from the institution weren’t transporting them.
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People in protective clothing search along a highway in Heidelberg, Miss., Wednesday, near the site of an overturned truck that was carrying research monkeys. (AP Photo/Sophie Bates)
Johnson initially said the monkeys potentially carried diseases, but university officials later confirmed the monkeys were pathogen-free.
Digital’s Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.
