A chaotic scene unfolded in Mississippi last week after a truck transporting monkeys overturned, leading to the escape of several primates. One of the escaped monkeys was shot dead by Jessica Bond Ferguson, a local mother of five, who claimed she acted out of concern for her children’s safety. Ferguson stated that she and other residents had been warned the monkeys might carry diseases. “I did what any other mother would do to protect her children,” she told the Associated Press. The monkeys were being transported from Tulane University’s National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, where they were housed for scientific research. Officials from the university clarified that the monkeys did not carry any infectious agents. Ferguson’s 16-year-old son alerted her to a monkey in their backyard, prompting her to grab her gun and cell phone. She described shooting the animal twice before it fell. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Department confirmed the incident, noting that the monkey was later taken into custody by the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. Confusion persists regarding the escape, including the number of monkeys transported, their ownership, and the cause of the truck accident. Tulane University emphasized that it did not own, transport, or have custody of the monkeys at the time of the incident but sent animal care experts to assist. Videos circulating online showed the monkeys moving through tall grass near the highway, with wooden crates labeled “live animals” visible. The transported monkeys were Rhesus macaques, a species commonly used in biomedical research, particularly for infectious disease studies and vaccine development.