Escaped Lab Monkeys Are Staying Close To Facility, 'Cooing' At 7 Left Behind

Forty-three monkeys bred for research escaped from their South Carolina compound Wednesday, but they haven’t gone far.

The animals, all young female rhesus macaques, made a break for it after an employee at the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center in Yemassee neglected to latch the doors to an enclosure that housed 50 monkeys. When one monkey took off, it was “kind of like follow-the-leader,” with the others making a “mad dash,” Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard told The New York Times.

Seven monkeys hung back, but it appears that they weren’t totally abandoned by their newly free comrades. As of Friday, the escapees were “exploring” the outside of the facility’s perimeter fence and “engaging with those still inside by cooing to them,” the Yemassee Police Department said in an update.

Alpha Genesis breeds monkeys and sells them for medical and other research. The young escapees all weigh around 7 pounds, and have not been tested on or infected with anything. Local police have emphasized the monkeys are “harmless,” but also urged the public to stay away from them.

As of May, the Yemassee facility held 6,701 primates. A similar escape happened in 2016, when 19 monkeys reportedly got out for about six hours before they were returned to the facility.

On social media, fans of the 43 monkeys have cheered for their liberation and also joked about a “Planet of the Apes” style scenario.

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