Free Republic

A Mississippi mom shot dead one of the aggressive monkeys that escaped from an overturned truck last week to protect her young children. Jessica Bond Ferguson said she and other Heidelberg residents had been on high alert after word spread that monkeys — believed to be carrying dangerous diseases but later confirmed by officials not to be — had been roaming loose since Tuesday. Early Sunday morning, her 16-year-old son ran into the house, claiming he had seen one of the animals in the yard. “I shot at it and it just stood there, and I shot again, and he...

TABASCO, Mexico – Heat-stressed, endangered howler monkeys are dropping out of trees and dying across Tabasco and Chiapas, Mexico, as the third relentless heat wave this season bakes the region. Conservation and rescue groups have made impassioned pleas for villagers to leave fresh water in the jungle for the heat-sickened primates. One group, COBIUS, reported "massive deaths." COBIUS told Reuters that at least 100 monkeys have died so far. Civil Protection officers said villagers have gathered the bodies in mass graves and covered them with lime for disposal, with few other options.