The 43 rhesus macaques escaped a lab in South Carolina after a keeper left their pen open. Officials said the primates pose no threat to public health.
One of the 43 monkeys that escaped from a research facility in the US state of South Carolina has been found unharmed, authorities said on Saturday.
The rhesus monkeys escaped on Wednesday after an employee at the Alpha Genesis facility in the small town of Yemassee, where the primates are bred for medical testing and research, failed to fully lock a door while feeding and checking on them, officials said.
Many of the escaped monkeys have remained in the vicinity of the property, jumping over the fence and cooing at those inside, according to the Yemassee police department.
The primates’ continued interaction with humans was a positive sign, the police added.
Monkeys pose no public health risk
Greg Westergaard, CEO of Alpha Genesis, said his team would keep working to recover all the animals and will continue until the job is done.
The escaped rhesus monkeys are all female and weigh about 7 pounds (3 kilograms). Alpha Genesis, federal health officials and police all said the monkeys pose no threat to public health.
However, police urged the public to stay away from the area surrounding the facility “to prevent startling the primates.”
“If you spot any of the remaining primates, please report your sighting by calling 911 and avoid approaching or interacting with them,” the statement read.
Why are rhesus monkeys bred?
Alpha Genesis breeds the monkeys to sell to medical and other researchers around the world. The species shares about 93% of its DNA with humans, even though macaques diverged from the ape family about 25 million years ago.
