A Missouri woman's frantic motherly instincts proved fatal when she shot a rhesus monkey that had escaped from an overturned truck on her front lawn. Jessica Bond Ferguson, 51, said she fired at the 60-foot away primate after being alerted by her 16-year-old son that it was spotted in their yard near Heidelberg, Mississippi.
The incident occurred early Sunday morning when Bond stepped outside to see one of the escaped monkeys. As a resident had warned about the potential health risks associated with the primates, Bond acted swiftly, claiming she would do "anything" to protect her children. When confronted by reporters, Bond claimed that after shooting at the monkey twice, it stood its ground and then fell.
While local authorities initially stated that the monkeys were carrying diseases like herpes, officials from Tulane University, which had provided the primates to scientific research organizations, disputed this claim, saying they "have not been exposed to any infectious agent."
In a bizarre turn of events, after Bond's shooting, three more escaped monkeys remained at large in the area. The incident led to concerns about public safety and potential exposure to potentially diseased animals.
Mississippi authorities took possession of one monkey from the scene while Bond faces an investigation into her actions.
The incident occurred early Sunday morning when Bond stepped outside to see one of the escaped monkeys. As a resident had warned about the potential health risks associated with the primates, Bond acted swiftly, claiming she would do "anything" to protect her children. When confronted by reporters, Bond claimed that after shooting at the monkey twice, it stood its ground and then fell.
While local authorities initially stated that the monkeys were carrying diseases like herpes, officials from Tulane University, which had provided the primates to scientific research organizations, disputed this claim, saying they "have not been exposed to any infectious agent."
In a bizarre turn of events, after Bond's shooting, three more escaped monkeys remained at large in the area. The incident led to concerns about public safety and potential exposure to potentially diseased animals.
Mississippi authorities took possession of one monkey from the scene while Bond faces an investigation into her actions.
... like i get that mom instincts are real but shooting a monkey on your front lawn? thats just too much 
... what if it wasnt diseased or whatever tulane said... its not even about the risks to her kids, its about public safety 
... 16 year old son shoulda just stayed inside lololololololol and now theres like 3 more loose monkeys running around 
... i guess youre gonna see some monkey business on this one 
i mean, i'd freak out if i saw some wild animal on my lawn too... but shooting it? that's a big deal... i'm just glad no one got hurt except the poor monkey 
anyway, what's up with these monkeys being at large now? shouldn't they've caught them all by now? 
and now there are more monkeys on the loose and people are worried about getting sick 
what if she's wrong about what really happened tho? 
can u imagine how scared that little primate mustve been?! 
I'm still trying to process this crazy story... I mean, who shoots a 60ft away monkey? 
but omg like what if she missed a diseasey monkey lolol 
we need 2 stay safe and keep our communities clean 
i cant even imagine what was goin on in that momma's mind 
but then you got a 60-foot monkey runnin wild and shootin at it like it owed her money 
seems like a whole lotta stress for one woman 
and now she's facin an investigation? 
i hope she can explain herself better than that 
and now she's paying the price? seems unfair to me 
. I mean, we all know those monkeys were loose in her yard for a reason - they're WILD animals 
and by the way, 60 ft away is like, no joke... that monkey coulda easily taken out the momma if it wanted to 
But shooting it down? That's some serious impulse control issues right there... and what if the monkey wasn't even infected with anything?! 
It just makes me wonder how many people react in the heat of the moment without thinking things through. And now three more are loose in the area? Yeah, that's just a recipe for disaster 
. I feel bad for Bond and her family, but come on... can't we just keep everyone safe without resorting to violence? 
.
But seriously tho, this whole situation is wild. What if she didnt shoot and just called animal control or something? Who knows now. Anyway, 3 more monkeys are still on the loose in the area 
at least nobody got hurt but 3 more escaped? 
. This whole thing has me on edge 
. Can we talk about the fact that there were THREE MORE MONKEYS ON THE LOOSE after she shot one? 
I'm really glad no one was seriously hurt in that incident, but come on Jessica, a 60-foot shot? 
The fact that three more monkeys are still loose out there is just insane.