More than half the escaped monkeys that fled a South Carolina research facility have been caught. Last Wednesday, Nov. 6, 43 Rhesus macaque monkeys escaped from Alpha Genesis, a medical lab that uses the animals for clinical drug trials, in Yemassee, about 60 miles west of Charleston.
As of Sunday night, Nov. 10, 25 of the 43 runaway primates had been rounded up. They were all checked out by a team of vets and are in good health.
Officials said the remaining monkeys do not seem to have gone far. They say a “significant number” of them are still near the facility eating food left out for them and interacting with other monkeys still inside the facility. Trappers have not yet been able to corral them.
“A sizable group remains active along the fence line and at this time have bedded down in the trees for the night,” a spokesperson for the Yemassee Police Department said.
Police have urged residents living near the facility to keep windows and doors secured. They also asked people to not use drones in the area.