Police are still searching for 43 monkeys that escaped from a research facility in South Carolina on Wednesday, after the company’s head revealed the outbreak occurred when a staff member failed to properly lock a door.
Police in Yemassee, Beaufort County, confirmed Thursday evening that the primates were in the wooded area surrounding the Alpha Genesis facility, in a rural area on the outskirts of Yamassee.
Locals were urged to lock windows and doors and avoid contact with the monkeys, instead calling 911 immediately if they spot one of the escaped primates. “These animals are very sensitive and easily startled. We advise the public to avoid the area to avoid further frightening them,” police said.
“Alpha Genesis staff are currently attempting to lure the animals back using food to ensure their safe capture,” the police statement said.
The company hopes that one-way traps with apples will attract the animals.
Police also said Thursday that the monkeys were very young females weighing only 6 to 7 pounds. The company told police that the animals were too young to carry diseases, although it is unclear whether this means they are incapable of contracting diseases or simply were not included in clinical trials.
Greg Westergaard, CEO of Alpha Genesis, told NBC News via email: “Yesterday’s incident involved a new enclosure and occurred because the attendant doing routine cleaning and feeding failed to secure two separate doors .It was a purely human error.”
This isn’t the first time monkeys have escaped the facility; a total of 11 monkey outbreaks have occurred in 2022, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture documents. Westergaard said they managed to find a seam in the fabric of a chain link fence, but did not leave the property and were quickly apprehended.
Alpha Genesis conducts medical research for various clients into various conditions, including brain disorders. The company won a federal contract to run a colony of 3,500 monkeys on Morgan Island off the coast of South Carolina, also known as Monkey Island.
Meanwhile, animal rights activists have raised concerns about the ethics of using primates in medical research on such a scale.
Kathleen Conlee, VP of animal research issues for the Humane Society of the United States, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, previously worked at the Beaufort County facility when it was owned by another company and called for an end to testing on monkeys.
“These intelligent, social animals deserve protection, not exploitation. Congress should reject further investments in primate research infrastructure and instead focus on funding ethical, animal-free alternatives that are more effective, more humane, and cost taxpayers less money,” said them in a statement. .
Lisa Jones-Engel, a primate scientist at the animal rights group PETA, said in a statement: “The monkey experimentation industry has consistently failed to improve human health, and instead their actions continue to put the public at risk.” to take.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
