A woman in Mississippi shot and killed one of the three Rhesus monkeys that escaped after a truck carrying research animals overturned on Interstate 59 last week. Jessica Bond Ferguson, a mother of five, fired at the monkey early Sunday morning after spotting it in her yard near Heidelberg, Mississippi.

The Jasper County Sheriff's Office confirmed the incident and noted that the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks took possession of the animal.

Why It Matters

Rhesus monkeys , which typically weigh around 16 pounds, are among the most widely used primates in medical research.

The monkeys had been housed at the Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which routinely provides primates to scientific research organizations, ac

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