Quentin Mitchell-South Carolina lab recaptures 5 more escaped monkeys but 13 are still loose

2025-04-30 16:30:19source:Oliver James Montgomerycategory:Contact

YEMASSEE,Quentin Mitchell S.C. (AP) — Employees at a South Carolina compound that breeds monkeys for medical research have recaptured five more animals that escaped last week from an enclosure that wasn’t fully locked.

As of Monday afternoon, 30 of the 43 monkeys that made it outside the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee are back in the company’s custody unharmed, police said in a statement.

Most if not all of the Rhesus macaques appeared to stay close to the compound after their escape Wednesday and Alpha Genesis employees have been watching them and luring them back with food, officials said.

They cooed at the monkeys remaining inside and interacted with the primates still inside the fence, the company told police.

Veterinarians have been examining the animals that were brought back and initial reports indicate they are all in good health, police said.

Alpha Genesis has said that efforts to recover all the monkeys will continue for as long as it takes at its compound about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from downtown Yemassee and about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Savannah, Georgia.

The monkeys are about the size of a cat. They are all females weighing about 7 pounds (3 kilograms).

RELATED COVERAGE 24 more monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina lab are recovered unharmed1 monkey recovered safely, 42 others remain on the run from South Carolina labMonkeys that escaped a lab are a species used for human research since the 1800s

Humans have been using the monkeys for scientific research since the late 1800s. Scientists believe that Rhesus macaques and humans split from a common ancestor about 25 million years ago and share about 93% of the same DNA.

Alpha Genesis, federal health officials and police all said the monkeys pose no risk to public health. The facility breeds the monkeys to sell to medical facilities and other researchers.

If people encounter the monkeys, they are advised to stay away from them — and to not fly drones in the area.

Alpha Genesis provides primates for research worldwide, according to its website.

More:Contact

Recommend

IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power

WASHINGTON (AP) — IRS leadership on Thursday announced that the agency has recovered $4.7 billion in

Trump ballot ban appealed to US Supreme Court by Colorado Republican Party

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Republican Party on Wednesday appealed that state’s supreme court decisio

Man faces charges, accused of hiding mother's remains in San Antonio storage unit: Police

Police say a man in Texas has been accused of hiding his mother's remains in a trash can in a storag