Young monkeys on the run in South Carolina: 43 escape from research center

43 young female monkeys escaped from the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center in South Carolina on November 6 and have still not been accounted for.

A shocking escape rattled a small town called Yemassee, South Carolina, on November 6, when 43 young rhesus macaques escaped their enclosure from the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center.

How it happened

The incident happened when one of the doors to the enclosure was inadvertently left open; the monkeys made their way out into the surrounding wooded area. All the monkeys involved were young, female, and still too small to be used in any experimental procedures. These macaques are described as very skittish and difficult to approach.

Although the animals are not aggressive, reportedly, local authorities have warned the residents in the vicinity of the animals to keep doors and windows closed to prevent the entry of the primates into houses. Authorities added that while the primates aren’t dangerous, they might get nervous or unpredictable if provoked, especially as they get hungrier.

People are being advised to avoid the facility’s neighborhood and also trying to get near the monkeys in case they are seen. The only recommended action is calling 911 upon sighting.

Not the first escape: similar iIncident in 2016

In the meantime, the Yemassee Police Department is cooperating well with the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center, among other local agencies, in catching the animals. Traps have been put in place to catch the animals, and infrared cameras are being used by research center employees to track the movements of the monkeys. For now, public health does not face an imminent threat, but the situation is kept under close watch.

Center CEO Greg Westergaard calls the incident frustrating, but hopes it can be resolved as quickly and safely as possible. It is not the first escape of its kind. In 2016, 19 primates escaped but were recovered in six hours.

The Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center is one of the foremost biomedical primate research facilities in the United States. But these two incidents have raised questions over security at such facilities.

Are the monkeys recovered?

Thirty of the monkeys had been recovered as of Monday evening, Westergaard said. They were “safe and sound and in good health,” he added.

Following the initial recovery of one of the monkeys Saturday, police said the others remained a few yards from the property, jumping back and forth over the fence of the facility, The Associated Press reported.

Westergaard told that the recovery of the outstanding monkeys would “continue for as long as it takes.”