Police are searching after 43 monkeys escaped from a research facility in South Carolina on Wednesday night.
Police in Yemassee, Beaufort County, said the rhesus primate escaped from Alpha Genesis, a company that provides “non-human primate products and biological research services,” according to its website.
The monkeys were a group of “very young females” that had never been used in experiments before. A spokesperson for Alpha Genesis confirmed to police that the animals were “too young to carry the disease,” according to a police statement.
“Alpha Genesis is currently on the lookout for the primate and is working to lure it in with bait,” police said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
Police said traps have also been set and officers are using thermal imaging cameras to try to capture the animal.
“Residents are strongly advised to securely close doors and windows to prevent these animals from entering their homes,” the Yamasee Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. Anyone who spots the monkey should not touch it and should call 911.
The company works with monkeys to conduct clinical trials, including treatments for brain disease disorders, and has “one of the largest and most comprehensive non-human primate facilities in the United States designed specifically for monkeys.” states.
Alpha Genesis did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News overnight.
The company won a federal contract to operate a 3,500-monkey colony on Morgan Island, also known as Monkey Island, off the coast of South Carolina.
The Beaufort County Post and Courier reports that the area has seen previous primate deaths, including in May of this year and in 2016, when 19 animals escaped Alpha Genesis security and were recaptured six hours later. It was reported that there had been several escapes.
In 2022, a car accident occurs in rural Pennsylvania and three monkeys escape.
