South Carolina | Forty-three macaques escape from a laboratory

Forty-three monkeys escaped from a compound used for medical research in South Carolina, but the local police chief said there was “almost no danger” to the public.

Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander assures that the monkeys are not infected with any disease and are harmless, but “a little nervous.”

The rhesus macaques escaped from the Alpha Genesis compound on Wednesday when a new employee failed to completely seal an enclosure, Alexander said.

The company usually handles escapes on site, but the monkeys got out of the compound located about a mile from downtown Yemassee, Chief Alexander said. He pointed out that keepers know these macaques well and can usually collect them with fruit or a small treat.

But rounding up these escapees takes a little more work. Alpha Genesis is taking the lead, setting traps and using thermal imaging cameras to recapture the monkeys on the run, the police chief said.

Residents in the area should close their windows and doors so the monkeys cannot find a place to hide inside.

Alpha Genesis supplies primates for research worldwide from its complex located about 50 miles northeast of Savannah, Georgia, according to its website. The company did not respond to an email requesting information about the escape.

In 2018, federal authorities fined Alpha Genesis $12,600 after the escape of dozens of monkeys as well as an incident that left a few other primates without water and other problems related to how the monkeys were accommodated.

Authorities said 26 primates escaped from the Yemassee facility in 2014 and another 19 came out in 2016.