All 43 research monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina facility in November have been safely recaptured, Yemassee police said in an update Friday.
The monkeys escaped from the Alpha Genesis facility after a caretaker failed to properly lock a door and ended up in a wooded area surrounding the facility. It’s not clear where the primates roamed before they were all found.
Local residents were urged to lock their windows and doors at this time and to call 911 if they saw any of the primates.
“These animals are very sensitive and easily startled. We advise the public to avoid the area to avoid causing further fear,” police said at the time.
Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said the recaptured monkeys “are in good health,” according to police.
“It was a real team and community effort,” Westergaard said of the search for the primates.
Police say they are all very young females weighing 6 to 7 pounds. Alpha Genesis conducts medical research for various clients into various conditions, including brain disorders.
Kathleen Conlee, vice president of animal research issues for the nonprofit Humane Society of the United States, says she worries about what will happen to the animals next.
“The reality is that this means you are either sent to a laboratory for a lifetime of suffering and ultimately death, or you are used as a breeder and have their offspring taken from them for that fate,” Conlee said.
The Humane Society is committed to moving away from a system of breeding and testing monkeys toward “more effective technologies based on human biology that do not involve animal suffering,” Conlee said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com