The search for an escaped monkey has come to a deadly end. A Mississippi mom shot and killed the animal to protect her children after it showed up in her yard.
The monkey escaped after a truck overturned last week. It was the last of 21 monkeys on the loose. At the time, authorities believed the animal had several diseases. However, lab officials later confirmed that not to be true. Still, the animal was on the loose. That's when it found its way into Jessica Bond Ferguson's yard.
Her son warned her about the animal in the yard. The mother of five quickly grabbed her gun and phone. She called the police then shot and killed the monkey.
"I did what any other mother would do to protect her children," Bond Ferguson 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."
Moneky Killed
She chose to kill the animal because she didn't want to risk the monkey attacking someone.
"If it attacked somebody's kid, and I could have stopped it, that would be a lot on me," Bond Ferguson said. "It's kind of scary and dangerous that they are running around, and people have kids playing in their yards."
It brings the animal's run on the lam to an end. The animal had escaped after a truck carrying 21 monkeys crashed on Interstate 59 last week. The animals came from Tulane University's National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans. Authorities recovered 13 at the site. Another five died during the search.
"Non-human primates at the Tulane National Biomedical Research Center are provided to other research organizations to advance scientific discovery," the university said in a statement. "The primates in question belong to another entity, and they have not been exposed to any infectious agent. The non-human primates were NOT being transported by Tulane, but we are actively collaborating with local authorities and are sending a team of animal care experts to assist."
"We have been in contact with an animal disposal company to help handle the situation," police previously said. "Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries is also on site with our local law enforcement. We are continuing to look for the one monkey that is still on the loose."
