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South Carolina: 43 monkeys escape from research center
A police investigation is currently in progress following the escape of 43 monkeys from a research center in South Carolina on Wednesday evening.
Police Statement
According to police in Yemassee, Beaufort County, reported that Rhesus macaque primates broke free from Alpha Genesis, a company that offers “nonhuman primate products and bio-research services.”
The monkeys consisted of a cohort of “very young females” that had never undergone testing. A representative from Alpha Genesis informed the police that the animals “are too young to carry disease,” as per the police report.
“Alpha Genesis currently have eyes on the primates and are working to entice them with food,” police said Thursday afternoon.
According to police, traps have been established and officers are utilizing thermal imaging cameras in an effort to recapture the animals.
“Residents are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes,” The Yemassee Sheriff’s Office stated in a release. Anyone who encounters a monkey should avoid interacting with it and instead contact 911, it stated.
The organization collaborates with monkeys to conduct clinical trials, including treatments for brain disorders, and claims it possesses “one of the largest and most thorough nonhuman primate facilities, specifically built for monkeys, in the United States.”
Alpha Genesis did not reply right away to a request for comment received overnight.
The firm obtained a federal contract to manage a colony of 3,500 monkeys on Morgan Island, located off the South Carolina coast, commonly referred to as Monkey Island.
The Post and Courier newspaper from Beaufort County stated that there have been multiple instances of primate escapes in the region, such as in May of this year and in 2016 when 19 animals got past security at Alpha Genesis and were recaptured after six hours.
In 2022, after a traffic accident in rural Pennsylvania, three monkeys managed to escape.
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