Eight monkeys that escaped from a research facility in South Carolina are still at large as of Friday morning, while 35 have been recaptured, officials say.
It’s been more than a week since 43 monkeys escaped from the Alpha Genesis research facility near Yemassee, South Carolina, after a caretaker failed to secure the door after feeding the monkeys and cleaning their enclosure.
Authorities say that all of the monkeys are young females, weighing approximately six to seven pounds.
At the beginning of this week, 13 monkeys were still unaccounted for. By Tuesday evening, local authorities reported that two more monkeys had been safely captured and were eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner.
Authorities confirmed that three additional monkeys had been safely recovered on Wednesday, leaving only eight of the primates still at large. All of those recaptured are in good health and efforts to safely capture the remaining primates will continue as long as it takes.
Some of the missing monkeys were seen in the woods adjacent to the research facility, local officials said, adding that they had been “heard cooing back and forth to each other”.
Since the escape on 6 November, the public in Yemassee and the surrounding areas has been advised to avoid the area, as the animals have been described as “skittish”. Residents were also encouraged to keep their doors and windows closed and to report any sightings.
Officials have also requested that the public avoid using drones near the facility. Earlier in the week, they reported that a drone incident “spooked” the monkeys, increasing their stress levels and complicating efforts to recapture them.
The research facility also noted that the animals had not been used for testing as they are too young, and do not carry diseases, so they don’t pose any infectious threat to humans.
A local Yemassee resident shared photos of some monkeys in trees on Facebook this week.
“Look closely! You will see the monkeys,” the user wrote. “They were playful, curious and jumping from tree to tree. Sticking close to the rear of the facility.”
The user said she let a security guard know and alerted a nearby Yemassee police officer.
The research lab that the monkeys escaped from, named Alpha Genesis, provides “nonhuman primate products and bio-research services”, according to its website. The company breeds monkeys to sell to medical facilities and other researchers.
In 2018, it was reported that Alpha Genesis received a grant of more than $1m for a multi-year project to use the monkeys as a developmental model for progressive brain disorders, including common forms of dementia.
The species of monkey at Alpha Genesis that escaped are rhesus macaques, which have been used in scientific research since the late 1800s/early 1900s, said Noah Snyder-Mackler, a professor in the life science department at Arizona State University.
“They quickly became the premier biomedical research animal, because they were relatively easy to breed and keep in captivity,” Snyder-Mackler said. “Rhesus macaques specifically are some of the most adaptable monkeys.”
Many in the scientific community point to how vital research using these primates is in fighting Aids, polio and Covid-19, according to the Associated Press,
Snyder-Mackler said these monkeys were interesting from a “biomedical perspective to help us understand many things about human health and wellbeing” and also from a “basic evolutionary biology and anthropological perspective” as they are adaptable and have complex social behaviors.
He added that he wasn’t surprised to hear that they escaped after a door at the facility was left open, as “they’re very curious monkeys”.
