More than 40 monkeys escaped from a South Carolina research facility and were still on the loose Thursday, sparking a massive search as authorities emphasized that they pose no danger to the public.
The rhesus monkeys launched their great escape from the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center on Wednesday at around 1 p.m. when a new employee left the door open while cleaning their enclosure, the Yemassee Police Department said in a statement. The total number of escaped monkeys was confirmed on Thursday to be 43.
The tiny primates were described as “very young females weighing approximately 6-7lbs,” Yemassee police said. They had not been used for testing due to their age and size, with a spokesperson from Alpha Genesis confirming that they’re “too young to carry disease.”
Traps were set up around the area, and the police department was using thermal imaging cameras in their search for the rogue rhesus. Rain was hampering the efforts “as the monkeys are hunkered down,” police told The Post and Courier.
As of Thursday afternoon, the animals had been spotted.
“Alpha Genesis currently have eyes on the primates and are working to entice them with food,” police said. “The public is advised to avoid the area as these animals are described as skittish, and any additional noise or movement could hinder their safe capture.”
Police cautioned residents to lock their doors and windows and to report sightings rather than approach the animals themselves.
“There is almost no danger to the public,” Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander told The Post and Courier. “Just don’t try to take these things home or pet them. We’re getting a lot of that on our social media. [Taking them] is a felony because they don’t belong to you.”
The company breeds the monkeys for medical testing and research at its compound in Beaufort County, about 50 miles northeast of Savannah, Ga. As of May, there were 6,701 primates housed at the facility on Morgan Island, also known as Monkey Island for its unique population, The Post and Courier reported.
This wasn’t the first escape from the facility. In 2014, 26 monkeys made a getaway, while another 19 broke out in 2016, though they were apprehended six hours later, the newspaper said.
In 2018, Alpha Genesis was fined $12,600 when dozens of primates made a run for it, in addition to an incident that left some without water and other problems with the way the monkeys were housed. The company has come under scrutiny from animal rights advocates in the area.
Animal rights group Stop Animal Exploitation Now demanded an inspection from the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the latest caper.
With News Wire Services
