At around 1 p.m. yesterday afternoon in Yemassee, South Carolina, the Yemassee Police Department was informed that 43 monkeys escaped from a local research facility called Alpha Genesis.
Located at 95 Castle Hall Road, Alpha Genesis indicated on their website that they provide “the highest quality nonhuman primate products and bio-research services worldwide.”
“With a client base that extends across North America, Europe, and Asia, we are dedicated to providing only the best and most cost-effective primate research and development support to the scientific community,” they go on to say.
The monkeys are used to conduct research trials, and federal data reports that Alpha Genesis is home to over 6,000 different monkeys.
As for the ones that got loose, it’s not clear how that happened in the first place, but they were not being used for trials at the time they escaped.
The Yemassee Police Department wrote in a press release shared on social media that the escapees are quite young, female, and only weigh around six or seven pounds.
“…The animals have never been used for testing due to their young age and size,” the department clarified.
“A spokesperson from Alpha Genesis can confirm that these animals are too young to carry disease.”
The Yemassee Police Department quickly set to work along with Alpha Genesis to search for all of the missing monkeys, which are Rhesus monkeys.
Sahil Zutshi – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual monkey – pictured above is a closeup photo of a Rhesus monkey
Alpha Genesis is attempting to catch the monkeys using food and they are keeping an eye on them, so it seems they know where some, or most, of them are.
Authorities advised the public to stay away from the area surrounding Alpha Genesis and to keep their doors and windows closed.
They went on to explain that anyone who sees a monkey should instantly dial 911 to report their sighting and that nobody should try to approach a monkey, no matter what.
So far, it doesn’t seem like any of them have been caught, judging by the latest update from authorities.
Speaking to Post and Courier, Gregory Alexander, the Yemassee Police Chief, said, “Just don’t try to take these things home or pet them. We’re getting a lot of that on our social media. That’s a felony because they don’t belong to you.”
The news outlet went on to report that this is hardly the first time monkeys have managed to escape from the facility.
While the Department of Agriculture inspected the facility in September of 2022, Post and Courier detailed that it was determined there were six incidents of animals getting out of their main enclosures.
“The primates found weaknesses in the chain link fences or opened panels between cages,” they stated.
“Alpha Genesis responded by repairing the weakened enclosures and eliminating cages that animals could open.”
“This was part of a report that prompted the USDA to deliver Alpha Genesis with an official warning. The federal government warned that future violations could result in civil penalties, criminal prosecution, or other sanctions.”
You can read the latest press release from the Yemassee Police Department regarding the escaped monkeys here, and you can visit the Alpha Genesis website here.
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