40 Monkeys Escape Facility in South Carolina

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Facts

  • Police are searching for more than 40 monkeys who escaped from the Alpha Genesis brain disorder research facility in Yemassee, South Carolina, on Wednesday. The species of monkey is believed to be rhesus macaques.[1][2]
  • After the monkeys weren't recovered by Thursday morning, police began setting up strategic traps around the area and used thermal imaging cameras to support the search effort.[2][3]
  • It's also not known what these monkeys were being tested for, but it was reported last year that Alpha Genesis received a federal contract to observe 3.5K rhesus macaque monkeys on South Carolina's Morgan Island.[4][5]
  • The island, dubbed the "Monkey Farm" by locals, is home to a total of about 6.5K animals. While the company says no research is conducted on-site, the facility reportedly transfers 600-700 monkeys every year for biomedical and vaccine research elsewhere.[6]
  • Residents of Yemassee, South Carolina, which has a population of roughly 1K people situated in Beaufort and Hampton counties, have been advised to close their doors and windows so the monkeys don't enter their homes.[2]
  • This comes after the federal government fined Alpha Genesis $12.6K in 2018 for allowing dozens of primates to escape as well as treating them inhumanely. Other escape incidents have also been reported over the years.[3]

Sources: [1]NBC, [2]New York Post, [3]Associated Press, [4]CBS, [5]Post and Courier and [6]Popular Science.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by The Island Packet. While another monkey escape could sound alarming to people, it's important to know that these primates typically don't travel very far before they're recovered. Alpha Genesis follows effective safety protocols regarding both the treatment of monkeys on the island and how to respond to occasional escapes.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Green Matters. Despite claims from Alpha Genesis, the local police department has noted that this is a fairly common problem for the community. Besides the serious risk of wild primates roaming local towns, facilities like Morgan Island shouldn't exist in the first place, as these poor monkeys are abused through testing. It's no wonder they're trying to escape.