November 3rd 2025.
A peaceful day in Mississippi quickly turned into a chaotic and terrifying scene when an unexpected guest made an appearance in Jessica Bond Ferguson's yard. An escaped monkey, weighing approximately 40 pounds, was seen wandering around outside of her home. Ferguson's first instinct was to protect her children, who were playing in the yard at the time, and she immediately sprang into action.
After being informed by one of her children about the monkey's presence, Ferguson quickly went inside her home to grab a firearm. As a mother, her top priority was the safety of her children and she didn't want to take any chances with a potentially dangerous animal on the loose. She also grabbed her mobile phone, just in case she needed to call for help.
When Ferguson returned to the yard, she saw the monkey about 60 feet away from her. Without hesitation, she fired a shot, hoping to scare the animal away. However, the monkey didn't seem phased and continued to roam around. Fearing for the safety of her family and neighbors, Ferguson made the difficult decision to shoot the monkey a second time. This time, her aim was true and the monkey fell to the ground.
In an interview with the media, Ferguson expressed that she did what any mother would do in that situation - protect her children. She also shared that the monkey didn't seem to be bothered by the first shot and she had no choice but to shoot again. The incident occurred near Heidelberg, Mississippi, and it left Ferguson shaken and reflecting on the dangers of wild animals.
Before the shooting, Ferguson and others in the area had been warned about escaped monkeys from a nearby truck accident. The authorities had informed them that the animals carried diseases and it was important to stay away from them. This warning played a big role in Ferguson's decision to defend her family.
"If it attacked somebody's kid, and I could have stopped it, that would be a lot on me," she 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 Department also shared a warning on their Facebook page about the truck accident and the monkeys that had escaped from Tulane University. According to the post, the monkeys were aggressive and carried diseases like hepatitis C, herpes, and COVID-19. The university was notified and a team was sent to retrieve the remaining monkeys the following day.
The accident occurred on October 28, when a truck transporting the monkeys overturned on the highway. Out of the 21 monkeys on board, 13 were found and taken to their destination safely. Unfortunately, five of the monkeys were killed during the search and three were still missing. Before the accident, the monkeys were being housed at Tulane University's National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans.
In a similar incident, a woman in a different state had been feeding raccoons for years and found herself in a similar predicament when 100 of them appeared at her home, looking for food. These incidents serve as a reminder that wildlife should be respected and kept at a safe distance.
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