Here are the kinds of monkeys on the loose in the SC Lowcountry right now, officials say
It’s now clear what kinds of monkeys escaped from a facility in Yemassee on Wednesday.
According to police, 43 Rhesus macaque monkeys escaped from the Alphas Genesis facility on Castle Hall Road Wednesday evening.
The monkeys are all females and are more likely to congregate, Town Clerk Matthew Garnes said. The monkeys weigh between 5 and 6 pounds and are probably skittish, he added.
Traps have been strategically placed in the area to try and capture the primates. Yemassee police said they were helping with the search by using thermal imaging cameras.
There is no health risk associated with the monkeys, but residents have been strongly advised to keep their windows and doors secure “to prevent these animals from entering homes,” police said.
According to its website, Alpha Genesis, Inc., which opened in 2003, provides non-human primates for research, contracts research services, does diagnostic testing on primates and provides primate biological products, like blood and tissue samples. The company also “provides enriched housing facilities for nonhuman primates in both CDC quarantine and non-quarantine settings on a cost-effective per diem basis,” the site states.
This is not the first time monkeys have escaped the facility.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture cited the facility between 2014 and 2016 for four incidents where monkeys escaped enclosures. There were 26 monkeys that escaped in 2014, but were recaptured within 48 hours. A week later, another monkey got out and was never caught.
Two additional monkeys escaped six months later, one of which died from internal injuries after it was shot with a dart. In 2016, another monkey escaped.
The USDA fined Alpha Genesis $12,600 for the escapes and two additional violations — one where at least six monkeys suffered severe dehydration and another where a monkey suffered fatal injuries after being placed in the wrong social group enclosure.
This story was originally published November 7, 2024 at 11:24 AM with the headline "Here are the kinds of monkeys on the loose in the SC Lowcountry right now, officials say."
