One of 43 monkeys bred for medical research escape from a compound Officials said Saturday that he has been recovered safely in South Carolina.
Several others were still located a few yards away from the property, jumping back and forth over the facility’s fence, police said in a statement.
The rhesus macaques took off on Wednesday when an employee at the Alpha Genesis facility in Yamasee did not fully close the door while feeding and checking on them, officials said.
On Friday, monkeys were exploring the outer fence of the Alpha Genesis campus and shouting at the monkeys inside.
The police statement said the primates continued to interact with their companions inside the facility on Saturday, which is a positive sign.
Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said efforts to recover all animals will continue throughout the weekend and as long as it takes, the statement said.
Monkeys are the size of cats. They are all females weighing about 7 pounds.
Alpha Genesis, federal health officials and police all said the monkeys posed no threat to public health. The facility breeds monkeys to sell to medical and other researchers.
alpha genesis According to its website, it provides primates for research worldwide at its campus in Yamasee, about 50 miles northeast of Savannah, Georgia.
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