43 rhesus monkeys have escaped from a research facility in South Carolina. Residents of the neighboring town of Yemassee were warned about the fugitive primates, urging them to keep doors and windows closed to avoid unwanted visitors.
The monkeys had escaped from the Alpha Genesis primate research facility – the facility is located about 25 miles from Yemassee. The police report on Facebook that the monkeys have not yet been captured, but are probably still near the research station. They would perform with the animals still behind the facility’s fences.
Police: Monkeys can be ‘unpredictable’.
“The primates exhibit calm and playful behavior, which is a positive sign,” said the director. Residents were asked not to approach the facility. The rhesus monkeys were ‘unpredictable’, police warned. They try to lure the animals with food – Alpha Gene employees are involved in the attempts to capture the monkeys.
The institution states on its website that it keeps cynomolgus monkeys, rhesus monkeys and capuchin monkeys. According to Yemassee City Manager Matt Garnes, “smaller breeds” have escaped. “We are not talking about Caesar from the Planet of the Apes,” Garnes told the Guardian.
The police message about the animal incident:
Monkeys should not be carriers of diseases
According to the research institution, the animals pose no risk of disease transmission. There are 43 young females weighing up to three kilograms on which no tests have yet been carried out. “A spokesperson for Alpha Genesis can confirm that these animals are too young to transmit diseases,” police said in a statement.
The head of the institution had to admit that an animal keeper had not properly locked a door. “It’s a bit like ‘follow the leader’: first one goes and then everyone goes along,” explains Greg Westergaard.
Source: Krone
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