Early Sunday morning, the quiet town of Heidelberg, Mississippi, found itself at the center of an unusual and unsettling drama. Jessica Bond Ferguson, a 35-year-old professional chef and mother of five, was jolted awake by her 16-year-old son’s urgent warning: there was a monkey running loose in their yard. What followed was a tense confrontation that ended with Ferguson shooting and killing the animal—one of several Rhesus monkeys that had escaped days earlier after a truck accident on Interstate 59.
The incident unfolded just after sunrise on November 2, 2025, capping a week of growing anxiety in Jasper County. The roots of the chaos lay in a truck crash on October 28, when a vehicle transporting 21 Rhesus monkeys from the Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans overturned north of Heidelberg. The crash scattered wooden crates marked “live animals” across the roadside, and video footage captured monkeys crawling through tall grass, their escape setting off a frantic search by local authorities and wildlife officials.
According to The Associated Press, Ferguson acted out of maternal instinct and concern for her children’s safety. “I did what any other mother would do to protect her children,” she said. “I shot at it and it just stood there, and I shot again, and he backed up and that’s when he fell.” Ferguson, who has children ranging from ages four to sixteen, had been warned—like many residents—that the monkeys could be carrying diseases and might be aggressive. She called the police before stepping outside, but fearing the animal might threaten children at another home if it escaped, she decided to act. “If it attacked somebody’s kid, and I could have stopped it, that would be a lot on me,” she told the press.
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office confirmed via social media that a homeowner had found and killed one of the monkeys on their property Sunday morning. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks soon took possession of the animal’s body, as reported by Fox News Digital and other outlets. Authorities emphasized that anyone encountering the remaining monkeys should contact 911 and keep their distance, warning that the animals were considered aggressive.
In the days following the crash, the community had been on high alert. Initial reports from the truck’s occupants and local law enforcement suggested the monkeys might be dangerous and potentially harbored infectious diseases, prompting widespread concern. However, Tulane University later clarified that the monkeys did not belong to the university and were not being transported by Tulane itself. In a statement, the university said the animals had recently undergone health checks and were confirmed to be pathogen-free before leaving the facility. “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,” Jasper County Sheriff Randy Johnson explained.
Despite assurances about the animals’ health, officials remained wary. Rhesus macaques, the species involved, are widely used in medical research and are known for their intelligence and, at times, aggressive behavior. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks echoed these concerns, stating that the conservation workers were assisting in the search for the remaining escapees due to the monkeys’ reputation for aggression.
The numbers tell a grim story. Of the 21 monkeys on board the truck, 13 were recovered at the accident scene and arrived at their original destination last week, according to Tulane. Five monkeys were killed in the immediate aftermath as authorities attempted to recapture them, and three remained on the loose until Sunday, when Ferguson’s encounter reduced that number by one. As of the latest reports, two monkeys are still unaccounted for. The Mississippi Highway Patrol, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and local law enforcement continue to investigate the cause of the crash and search for the missing animals.
The story has drawn national attention, not just for its bizarre circumstances but also for the ethical and practical questions it raises. The monkeys were being transported for research purposes as part of a National Institutes of Health-funded program, according to the White Coat Waste Project, a nonprofit that campaigns against government-funded animal testing. Tulane University, while distancing itself from ownership of the animals, noted that transporting research animals is a routine practice, albeit one governed by strict confidentiality agreements to protect both the animals’ safety and the proprietary interests of the parties involved.
For many residents, the incident has brought back memories of a similar escape in South Carolina just a year ago, when 43 Rhesus macaques fled a breeding facility after an employee failed to secure an enclosure. That episode, too, sparked a frantic search and raised questions about the risks involved in transporting and housing research animals near populated areas.
In Heidelberg and the surrounding communities, the mood in the days after the crash was tense. Parents kept children indoors, and social media buzzed with sightings and rumors. The sheriff’s office and wildlife officials cautioned residents not to approach the monkeys, reiterating that the animals, while not infectious, could be unpredictable and dangerous. “The monkeys still needed to be ‘neutralized’ because of their aggressive nature,” Sheriff Johnson said, reflecting the difficult balance between public safety and animal welfare in such situations.
As for Ferguson, she stands by her decision. “It’s kind of scary and dangerous that they are running around, and people have kids playing in their yards,” she said. Her actions, while controversial to some, have been met with understanding by many in the community, who share her concerns about safety and the unpredictability of wild animals suddenly thrust into unfamiliar surroundings.
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks continues to monitor the situation, and the search for the two remaining escapees is ongoing. Meanwhile, the investigation into the crash itself remains active, with authorities seeking to determine exactly how and why the truck overturned and whether proper precautions were taken during the transport of the animals.
In the end, the incident serves as a stark reminder of the unexpected ways that scientific research, public safety, and everyday life can collide—sometimes quite literally—on the highways and backroads of America.
