43 Rhesus Monkeys Escape From Bio-Research Lab In South Carolina

A total of 43 Rhesus monkeys have escaped from a bio-research lab in South Carolina.

Authorities have warned residents in Beaufort County to lock their windows and doors after 43 monkeys escaped from the bio-research facility Alpha Genesis.

Yemassee Police Department has placed traps around Beaufort County and is using thermal to locate the monkeys.

Authorities reported that Alpha Genesis is currently monitoring the primates and working to entice them with food and treats.

🚨Over 40 monkeys escape from bio research lab and are on the loose in South Carolina

Cops are warning residents in rural South Carolina to shut their doors and windows after at least 43 monkeys escaped from a bio-research lab.

The rhesus macaques slipped out of an Alpha… pic.twitter.com/kMjx33TQIc

— WayneTech SPFX®️ (@WayneTechSPFX) November 7, 2024

🚨#BREAKING: Officials are urgently searching for 40 Rhesus monkeys that escaped from bio-research lab

📌#Yemassee | #SouthCarolina⁰
Currently an urgent search is underway as authorities report that 40 to 43 rhesus monkeys escaped from a research bio-lab facility in the… pic.twitter.com/lSDmhnyIrm

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) November 7, 2024

Here’s what The CBS reported:

Authorities in South Carolina have warned residents to lock their doors and windows after more than 40 monkeys escaped from a research facility Wednesday night.

The primates broke loose from a Alpha Genesis facility in Beaufort County and traps have been set up and thermal imaging cameras are being used in an effort to locate the fugitive monkeys, the Yemassee Police Department said in a statement.

In an update posted Thursday, police confirmed 43 rhesus macaque primates escaped and none had been captured as of mid-morning. Authorities said the primates were “very young females weighing approximately 6-7 lbs” and had never been used for testing due to their age.

“Alpha Genesis currently have eyes on the primates and are working to entice them with food,” police said, describing the monkeys as “skittish.”

“Residents are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes,” police said earlier. “If you spot any of the escaped animals, please contact 911 immediately and refrain from approaching them.”

🚨Just in: 43 Rhesus monkeys have escaped from bio-research lab in Yemassee, South Carolina.

Via: The AP pic.twitter.com/MxAfZlqSU3

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) November 7, 2024

43 monkeys escaped from a research facility in South Carolina last night and police are now searching for them. Residents have been warned to lock all doors and windows. pic.twitter.com/SorIeycklQ

— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) November 7, 2024

Per AP:

Forty-three monkeys escaped from a compound used for medical research in South Carolina but the nearby police chief said there is “almost no danger” to the public.

“They are not infected with any disease whatsoever. They are harmless and a little skittish,” Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander said Thursday morning.

The Rhesus macaque primates escaped from the Alpha Genesis facility Wednesday when a new employee didn’t fully shut an enclosure, Alexander said.

The monkeys are females weighing about 7 pounds (3 kilograms) and are so young and small that they haven’t been used for testing, police said.

Alpha Genesis employees “currently have eyes on the primates and are working to entice them with food,” police said in a statement issued around noon Thursday.

The company usually handles escapes on site, but the monkeys got outside the compound about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) from downtown Yemassee, Alexander said.