Second Monkey Shot and Killed in Mississippi Amid Ongoing Search for Third Escapee
A second of the three Rhesus monkeys that escaped from a truck overturned on Interstate 59 north of Heidelberg, Mississippi last week has been fatally shot, authorities confirmed Tuesday. The incident occurred just over a mile away from where two other monkeys were initially spotted crossing the highway.
The shooting happened on Monday evening after a driver witnessed one of the primates on the side of the road. A transport company representative reported that the driver was able to recover the monkey without injury.
Meanwhile, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has confirmed that at least one more monkey remains unaccounted for. The authorities have warned that people should exercise extreme caution when approaching any of the escaped monkeys due to their aggressive nature.
Earlier in the weekend, a woman named Jessica Bond Ferguson reported shooting and killing another Rhesus monkey after witnessing it outside her home near Heidelberg. She had been informed by local residents about the potential health risks posed by the escaped primates, citing the risk of diseases being transmitted.
The incident highlights the complexities surrounding animal research facilities and transportation companies in the United States. The monkeys were initially housed at a facility in Louisiana, and according to reports, they were provided by a biomedical research support organization called Prefabs. However, their owner claimed that they did not belong to the company.
Following the crash, authorities have found the remains of five monkey corpses during the search for missing primates. Meanwhile, 13 more monkeys are reported to have reached their intended destination safely last week.
Meanwhile, PreLabs has issued a statement urging cooperation from the public and emphasizing its commitment to animal welfare. The incident has further underscored concerns about secrecy in the animal research industry.
A second of the three Rhesus monkeys that escaped from a truck overturned on Interstate 59 north of Heidelberg, Mississippi last week has been fatally shot, authorities confirmed Tuesday. The incident occurred just over a mile away from where two other monkeys were initially spotted crossing the highway.
The shooting happened on Monday evening after a driver witnessed one of the primates on the side of the road. A transport company representative reported that the driver was able to recover the monkey without injury.
Meanwhile, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has confirmed that at least one more monkey remains unaccounted for. The authorities have warned that people should exercise extreme caution when approaching any of the escaped monkeys due to their aggressive nature.
Earlier in the weekend, a woman named Jessica Bond Ferguson reported shooting and killing another Rhesus monkey after witnessing it outside her home near Heidelberg. She had been informed by local residents about the potential health risks posed by the escaped primates, citing the risk of diseases being transmitted.
The incident highlights the complexities surrounding animal research facilities and transportation companies in the United States. The monkeys were initially housed at a facility in Louisiana, and according to reports, they were provided by a biomedical research support organization called Prefabs. However, their owner claimed that they did not belong to the company.
Following the crash, authorities have found the remains of five monkey corpses during the search for missing primates. Meanwhile, 13 more monkeys are reported to have reached their intended destination safely last week.
Meanwhile, PreLabs has issued a statement urging cooperation from the public and emphasizing its commitment to animal welfare. The incident has further underscored concerns about secrecy in the animal research industry.
just thinking about those poor monkeys... it's crazy how they can be treated like nothing more than test subjects 
. I mean, what kind of company prioritizes profit over life? And the fact that they were shipped around without proper care or handling is just mind-boggling 
. We need to do better, you know? 
. I mean, can you believe they were even sent out of control? It's crazy how humans can get so careless with living creatures 
It just shows that we're not taking animal welfare seriously enough 
.
i feel bad for the driver who had to shoot one down but at least he saved another life 
and can we talk about how irresponsible Prefabs is? like, didn't they check if the monkeys belonged to them before shipping them out? 
and what's with all these monkey deaths? 5 already and more might be dying 
i just hope the remaining one gets caught safely without anyone getting hurt 
I'm literally shaking my head over this... Like, what even is the deal with these monkeys? 
. I mean, can't we just talk about this instead of killing them off like that? 
these monkeys are all we got rn lol and its not just 1 more, but 5 of them 
they found dead on the highway, so sad 
prelabs is tryna save face w/ a statement tho 
like, yaaas prelabs u care about animal welfare... meanwhile ppl r still wonderin how these monkeys ended up in a truck 
oh man this is getting crazy! like, i get it, people are scared but shooting them on the side of the road isn't exactly the best solution 
but we gotta consider the bigger picture here - like, how did these monkeys end up on the loose in the first place? 
if we're not keeping tabs on our animal research facilities, how are we supposed to ensure they're doing what's right for the animals? 
#AnimalResearch #TransparencyMatters
i mean what's goin on here? these primates are innocent, just tryna survive after bein cooped up for God knows how long. and now we got folks out there exercisin extreme caution around 'em? that's just cruel 
u gotta wonder if it's even worth the risk. and prefabs just straight up denies ownin them? lowkey fishy, if u ask me 
? Like, I get it, they're cute and all, but come on, can't they just stay in their enclosure like normal animals? And now we've got three of them running around, scaring the living daylights outta people. It's like they're trying to make our lives more interesting... or not 
. It's like they're trying to hide something... or maybe it's just a case of 'monkey see, monkey do' 
. But seriously, can we please get some answers about these facilities and what's really going on? I'm all for animal welfare, but come on, let's be transparent here 
.
it's crazy how quickly things escalated from a simple transportation issue to a full-blown crisis. I mean, shouldn't we be prioritizing animal welfare over profits? 
I know PreLabs is trying to say they're committed to it, but their whole secrecy thing doesn't exactly inspire trust...
. And now there's all this secrecy going on with Prefabs and PreLabs... it just reeks of cover-ups 
. Back in the day, maybe animal research was seen as a necessary evil, but now we know better 
. So yeah... let this be a lesson to all of us: treat animals with respect and care, not like disposable lab subjects 
OMG u guys can't believe what's happening in Mississippi rn! like 2 out of the 3 monkeys that escaped are NOW GONE 
especially with all those dead bodies found 
like they're taking responsibility and wanting to make it right 
. I'm not saying we should shut down the whole industry, but at least some transparency and accountability would be nice