More than 40 monkeys on the loose after escaping from research lab

The keeper left the door open

The rhesus macaques escaped from Alpha Genesis, a company that breeds primates for medical testing and research and are on the loose in an area known as the Lowcountry.

Authorities have urged residents to keep their windows and doors closed and to report any sightings immediately.

According to the Yemassee Police Department, the escaped monkeys are young females that weigh around 7lbs each.

In an update issued on Thursday, police said the company had located the skittish group and are ‘working to entice them with food’.

Traps have been set up in the area and thermal imagining cameras are also being used to locate the group.

The research company told police that the monkeys are too small and too young to have been tested on and do not carry disease.

The CEO of the company, Greg Westergaard said that the escape was ‘frustrating’ but that the monkeys were just ‘hanging out in the woods’ and he hoped they would return to the facility on their own.

He said: “It's really like follow-the-leader. You see one go and the others go. It was a group of 50 and 7 stayed behind and 43 bolted out the door.

“There are some little things to eat in the woods but no apples which what they really like so we are hoping that will draw them in the next day or two.”

In an interview with The Post and Courier, he said that their efforts to capture the monkeys had been hampered by the rain.

According to the publication it is not the first time the monkeys have escaped from the facility.

In 2016, 19 primates escaped from the facility before they returned approximately six hours later. Two years earlier, 26 monkeys escaped.

The town of Yemassee, which is situated 60 miles east of Charleston, has a population of fewer than 1,100 residents.

The congresswoman who represents South Carolina in the House of Representatives, Nancy Mace put out a post on social media platform X that read: “We’re diligently gathering all relevant information to keep our constituents informed regarding the recent escape of primates from Alpha Genesis Inc. in Beaufort County.

“Our office has been in direct communication with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and is working closely with their team to monitor and assess the situation.

“We are withholding any formal statements until we have a complete understanding of all the facts. Stay tuned…”

Though there is thought to be no danger to the public, macaques are known for being aggressive and competitive.