More than 40 rhesus monkey primates have escaped from a research facility in South Carolina. Pictured here are River, left, and Timon, both rhesus monkeys previously used in medical research, in an outdoor enclosure at Primates Inc., in Westfield, Wisconsin, on May 13, 2019.

Carrie Antlfinger/AP

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Carrie Antlfinger/AP

Dozens of monkeys have escaped from a research facility in Yemassee, SC, prompting police to urge residents to lock their doors and windows until the primates are captured.

The Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center is home to the 43 escaped female rhesus monkey primates, described by police as very young and weighing between 6 and 7 pounds.

“The Yemassee Police Department, in partnership with Alpha Genesis, has set up search teams to help locate the escaped primates. Alpha Genesis is currently monitoring the primates and trying to tempt them with food,” police said in a statement.

“The public is advised to avoid the area as these animals are described as skittish and any additional noise or movement could interfere with their safe capture.”

The monkeys have never been used for testing because of their young age and they are too young to carry diseases, the statement said.

Attempts to reach Alpha Genesis for comment went unanswered.

Speaking to CBS News, Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said a property manager accidentally left a door to the enclosure unsecured. The ensuing escape, he said, was like an all-too-literal version of “monkey see, monkey do.”

“It’s really a follow-the-leader kind of thing. You see one person go and the others go,” Westergaard said. “It was a group of 50 and seven stayed behind and 43 fled out the door.”

Although he called the escape “frustrating,” Westergaard said he hoped the monkeys would eventually return home of their own free will.