Escaped monkeys update: They're ‘having an adventure’
YEMASSEE, S.C. - Authorities in South Carolina gave an update Friday after 43 monkeys escaped from a primate research facility earlier this week.
Officials said the monkeys, who were bred for medical research, have been spotted in the woods near the site and workers are using food to try to recapture them.
"They are very social monkeys, and they travel in groups, so when the first couple go out the door, the others tend to just follow right along," Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard told CBS News.
Westergaard said his main goal is to have the monkeys returned safely with no other problems.
FILE: Rhesus monkey (Credit: Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images)
"I think they are having an adventure," he said.
The Rhesus macaques made a break for it Wednesday after an employee at the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee didn't fully lock a door as she fed and checked on them, officials said.
According to police, the primates are all very young females weighing 6-7 pounds. They’ve never been used for testing because of their age, and they’re too young to carry disease.
"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. "Residents are urged to keep their doors and windows securely closed and to report any sightings immediately by dialing 911. Please do not attempt to approach these animals under any circumstances."
Police added Friday that the primates are exhibiting "calm and playful behavior, which is a positive indication," adding company workers are closely watching the monkeys while keeping their distance as they work to safely recapture them.
EARLIER: 43 monkeys escape from South Carolina primate research facility
Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center is "one of the largest and most comprehensive nonhuman primate facilities, designed specifically for monkeys, in the United States," according to its website. It also oversees a colony of more than 3,000 monkeys on Morgan Island, known as Monkey Island, off the South Carolina coast.
26 primates escaped in 2016
In 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture fined Alpha Genesis $12,600 in part after officials said 26 primates escaped from the Yemassee facility in 2014 and an additional 19 got out in 2016.
The company's fine was also issued because of individual monkey escapes as well as the killing of one monkey by others when it was placed in the wrong social group, according to a report from the USDA.
The group Stop Animal Exploitation Now sent a letter Thursday to the USDA asking the agency to immediately send an inspector to the Alpha Genesis facility, conduct a thorough investigation and treat them as a repeated violator. The group was involved in the 2018 fine against the company.
"The clear carelessness which allowed these 40 monkeys to escape endangered not only the safety of the animals, but also put the residents of South Carolina at risk," wrote Michael Budkie, executive director of the group.
The USDA, which has inspected the compound 10 times since 2020, didn't immediately respond to the letter. The facility's most recent federal inspection in May showed there were about 6,700 primates on site and no issues.