Residents of Heidelberg, Mississippi, have been on edge for several days after a truck carrying rhesus monkeys overturned on Interstate 59, releasing several animals into nearby neighborhoods. But for Jessica Bond Ferguson — a 35-year-old mother of five — the situation became personal when one of the monkeys appeared near her home early Sunday morning.
Her 16-year-old son had just run into the house, saying he saw something moving in the yard. “I didn’t wait,” Ferguson told the Associated Press. “I did what any other mother would do to protect her children.”
Grabbing her phone and legally registered firearm, she stepped outside and saw the monkey about sixty feet away. With police and animal control not yet on the scene, Ferguson said she quickly decided to defend her family. “It just stood there at first, and when I fired again, it backed up and went down,” she said. “If it had attacked someone’s kid, and I could have stopped it — that would have been on me.”
According to National Geographic, rhesus monkeys are intelligent primates that can become highly aggressive when stressed or separated from their group. Officials from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office later confirmed that one monkey was located and secured on Sunday morning, with assistance from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks.
The monkeys had escaped days earlier after a truck transporting twenty-one caged primates overturned north of Heidelberg. The animals originated from Tulane University’s National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, which supplies research institutions nationwide. Tulane stated that the monkeys had been recently screened and were free of pathogens.
Out of the original twenty-one, thirteen were recovered quickly, five perished, and three remained unaccounted for until Sunday’s incident at the Ferguson home. Local authorities emphasized that although the animals were not infected, they were still considered unsafe to approach due to their unpredictable nature.
Video from the crash site showed splintered wooden crates labeled “Live Animals” scattered along the roadside as small figures darted through tall grass. Sheriff Randy Johnson said wildlife experts were working with Tulane representatives to recover the remaining animals humanely.
For residents, the incident sparked discussions about wildlife safety and emergency preparedness in rural communities. “It’s scary,” Ferguson admitted. “People have kids playing in their yards, and you never expect something like this to happen here.”
The Mississippi Highway Patrol continues investigating what caused the truck to overturn. Tulane University clarified that it did not own the animals and was not responsible for their transport logistics.
Key points of the incident:
Rhesus monkeys escaped from a biomedical transport truck near Heidelberg, Mississippi.
Local mother Jessica Bond Ferguson acted quickly to ensure her children’s safety.
Officials confirmed the monkeys were not carrying diseases but remained a potential hazard due to their unpredictable nature.
Tulane University cooperated with local agencies to secure all remaining animals.
The event raised concerns about wildlife control and public safety in small towns.
As residents return to normal life, many online users have called Ferguson’s actions heroic, while others emphasize the importance of waiting for trained professionals. Regardless of perspective, this story highlights a mother’s instinct — and serves as a reminder that even in quiet towns, unexpected dangers can appear without warning.