43 monkeys escaped from a laboratory in Yemassee, South Carolina, on Thursday. Police said there was “almost no danger” but also warned that people living in the area should close their windows and doors.
King macaque monkeys escaped from the Alpha Genesis research facility after an employee failed to close the enclosure tightly. The escaped individuals are young females, weighing about three kilograms. As reported, they were not used for testing due to their age.
– The monkeys are not infected with any disease. They are harmless and quite shy, said Gregory Alexander of the Yemassee Police Department.
According to police, there is “almost no danger” to residents. However, people living near the laboratory were asked to close their windows and doors and were asked not to act on their own if they spotted animals, but to call the emergency number. Alpha Genesis employees “conduct surveillance and try to lure the monkeys with food,” the police assured.
On its website, Alpha Genesis says it conducts diagnostic tests on monkeys and also provides researchers with “biological products and materials derived from non-human primates, including serum, plasma, and whole blood.”
In 2018, the laboratory was already fined after monkeys escaped.
The Stop Animal Exploitation Now animal protection movement asked the United States Department of Agriculture for an immediate inspection of the facility, which, according to activists, had repeatedly violated regulations related to animal care.
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