YEMASSEE, SC (WCSC) – Yemassee Police have confirmed that nearly four dozen primates that escaped from a Beaufort County research facility have been located but have not yet been recaptured.

Police received a report around 1pm on Wednesday that a group of Rhesus Macaque monkeys escaped from their enclosures at the Alpha Genesis Research Center. The facility, located off Castle Hall Road, is minutes from the small town of Yemassee.

Police say crews at Alpha Genesis are working to catch them with food.

“It’s really just the wait and it’s frustrating because we’d like to have them back sooner or later. You can’t follow them because they scatter. In this form, they should stay in the same area and we should see some coming back,” says Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard.

The herd consists entirely of young females weighing around 6 or 7 kilograms each. Alpha Genesis reports that none of these animals were used in tests and that they are “too young” to be carriers of the disease.

“It was 100% down to human error. The keeper who normally looks after these monkeys entered the enclosure and failed to secure two doors behind her,” says Westergaard.

Longtime business owners and neighbors in Yemassee say an escaped monkey isn’t a shocker, and many are used to having the facility nearby.

“That was the surprise, the number. I’ve seen one or two right off the road, but I’ve never heard of so many breaking up,” says Lowcountry living room owner Charlotte Murray.

“Crazy, someone must have left the door open or something, I don’t know. Everybody in Yemassee has been talking about it pretty much all day today,” says Jerry’s Tow and Garage owner Jay Cook. “We know that road as Monkey Farm Road.”

The Alpha Genesis website claims that their research uses “specific pathogen-free” primate models.

The facility has faced violations from the United States Department of Agriculture, including a warning issued in 2022 and a fine in 2017. The 2022 notice alleges the center violated rules regarding the housing, handling and veterinary care of primates.

The 2017 report comes from a document published by the animal rights group Stop Animal Exploitation Now, which reported a $12,600 fine for violating the Animal Welfare Act. Two of these violations included failure to insure primates.

Previously, we reported that Alpha Genesis did not see a critical grade breach. However, after further review, the center received a mark from the USDA in 2023. The violation was related to improper care of the enclosures, which could have negative effects on the health of the primates.

An expert on primate experimentation from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released a statement saying the facility’s recent actions “put the public at risk and consistently fail to improve human health.”

“They breed, import, sell and experiment on monkeys. They are generally macaques. Alpha Genesis has approximately 6,000 macaques in their colonies,” says Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel. “They’re scared, they’re hungry, they’re cold, they’re wet. I mean it rained last night. They try to get as far as they can.”

Since 2022, Alpha Genesis has not had another “critical” grade violation.

South Carolina Congressional District 1 Representative Nancy Mace released the following statement in a post on X:

We are diligently gathering all relevant information to inform our constituents about the recent primate escape from Alpha Genesis Inc. of Beaufort County. Our office has been in direct communication with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and is working closely with their team to monitor and assess the situation. We are withholding any formal statements until we fully understand all the facts. Stay tuned…

Police and deputies are asking the public to stay away from the area of ​​the Castle Hall Road building as the monkeys are troublesome and any additional noise or movement could prevent them from being recaptured.

Authorities say anyone who spots one of the monkeys should not approach the animal and should call 911 immediately.

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