These monkeys went bananas: 43 monkeys escaped from a research facility in South Carolina, and local authorities on Wednesday warned residents to stay away.
“Residents are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes,” the Yemassee police department said on Facebook this week. “If you spot any of the escaped animals, please contact 911 immediately and refrain from approaching them.”
Police described the “numerous” rhesus macaque escapers as “very young females weighing approximately 6-7lbs”. They claim that the monkeys “have never been used for testing due to their young age and size”.
“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 said of the wily primates.
The monkeys that absconded were from the Alpha Genesis research center, which bills itself as “primate research specialists”. Police said that they had set up traps around the area and were “utilizing thermal imaging cameras in an attempt to locate the animals”.
Alpha Genesis boasts on its website that the company “provides the highest quality nonhuman primate products and bio-research services world-wide”. The company also claims that “we are dedicated to providing only the best and most cost-effective primate research and development support to the scientific community”.
The company did not immediately respond to the Guardian’s request for comment. According to the police, an Alpha Genesis representative said: “These animals are too young to carry disease.”
The Yemassee police department said that “multiple officers” were working with Alpha Genesis personnel to catch the monkeys.
While monkey escapes are not common to the area, the Post and Courier newspaper notes that they have happened multiple times in recent history.
A Japanese macaque decamped its home in Walterboro this May. Local animal services disclosed that the macaque had been apprehended and, two days later, said that it had been found dead.
This is also not Alpha Genesis’s first rodeo with unruly animals, with 19 monkeys fleeing the facility in 2016. They were returned to Alpha Genesis after six hours.
Other notable cases of escaped monkeys can be seen in Florida; an eccentric boat captain released two groups of monkeys in the Silver Springs area nearly 100 years ago. Many of these monkeys now carry herpes.
