After 43 monkeys escaped from a research facility in Yemassee, South Carolina, the local police urged the town’s residents to secure their homes and avoid contact with the animals.
The escape occurred on Wednesday, and the young female rhesus macaques are still on the loose. The Yemassee police, assisting Alpha Genesis research centre employees, is trying to recapture the monkeys by luring them with food.
The police department has advised residents to keep doors and windows locked and to report any sightings immediately by calling 911, stressing that the monkeys should not be approached.
Details on how the monkeys escaped their enclosures have not been disclosed. Alpha Genesis, which focuses on primate-based biomedical research, has yet to comment publicly. However, the police mentioned that the company assured them these monkeys had not been involved in any testing and were too young to be disease carriers.
Greg Westergaard, CEO of Alpha Genesis, described the situation as “frustrating” and expressed hope for a resolution, noting that the escape resulted from a caretaker’s failure to secure an enclosure door. He likened the situation to “follow-the-leader,” with one escaping monkey prompting the others.
