One of 43 female monkeys bred for medical research that escaped from a complex in South Carolina has been recovered unharmed, authorities said Saturday. Many of the others are still a few meters from the property, jumping back and forth over the compound fence, police said in a statement.
Female rhesus monkeys escaped Wednesday after an employee at the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee did not fully close a door while she was feeding and checking them.authorities said. On Friday, the monkeys were exploring the outside fence of the Alpha Genesis complex and flirting with the monkeys inside. The primates continued to interact with their peers inside the facility on Saturday, which is a positive signindicated the police statement.
Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said efforts to recover all the animals will continue through the weekend and as long as necessary, according to the statement. Monkeys are about the size of a cat. They are all females weighing about 7 pounds.
Alpha Genesis, federal health officials and police said the monkeys do not pose any risk to public health. The facility raises the monkeys to sell to medical and other researchers. Alpha Genesis provides primates for research worldwide from its complex in Yemassee, about 50 miles northeast of Savannah, Georgia, according to its website.