YEMASSEE, S.C. (WCSC) – Officials at the Alpha Genesis Research Center have confirmed that the monkeys are still running loose as of Friday morning.

In a statement, Greg Westergaard, CEO of Alpha Genesis, said the monkeys took food from staff before running away. The monkeys stay nearby, but only watch the staff.

Westergaard’s statement reads as follows:

“We have an eye on the fence where they are. The good news is that they remain close. They’re just crazy monkeys jumping around and playing with each other. It’s a bit like a playground situation here. We have baited the traps, but they are not going in yet. We put their food outside. We put out fruits and vegetables and they jump down and grab the food and then jump back up onto the fence and tree line. They look at us the same way we look at them. We haven’t received anything back yet. I know it’s a long process, but it’s the best way to do it. If you try to chase them, they will startle and run away. We have them very close. This is all as we want to see.”

Yemassee police received a report around 1 p.m. Wednesday that a group of rhesus monkeys had escaped from their enclosures at the Alpha Genesis Research Center. The facility, located off Castle Hall Road, is minutes from the small town of Yemassee.

Alpha Genesis crews continue to try to trap them with food.

“It’s really just a matter of waiting and that’s frustrating because we would like to have them back sooner or later. You can’t chase them because they spread. In this form they should stay in the same area and we should see some come back,” Westergaard said on Thursday.

The herd consists entirely of young females weighing approximately 6 to 7 pounds each. Alpha Genesis reports that none of these animals have been used in testing and are “too young” to carry diseases.

“It was 100% down to human error. The caretaker who normally cares for these monkeys entered the enclosure and failed to close two doors behind him,” Westergaard said.

Longtime business owners and neighbors in Yemassee say an escaped monkey is not a shock and many are used to the facility being close by.

“That was the surprise, the number. We’ve seen one or two along the road before, but we’ve never heard of so many coming loose,” said Charlotte Murray, owner of Lowcountry Living Room.

“Crazy, someone must have left the door open or something, I don’t know. Everyone in Yemassee has been talking about it pretty much all day today,” said Jerry’s Tow and garage owner Jay Cook. “We know that road as Monkey Farm Road.”

Alpha Genesis’ website claims that their research uses ‘specific pathogen-free’ primate models.

The facility faced U.S. Department of Agriculture violations, including a 2022 warning and a 2017 fine. The 2022 notice alleges the center violated guidelines for the housing, treatment and veterinary care of primates.

The 2017 report comes from a document released by the animal rights group Stop Animal Exploitation Now, which reported a $12,600 fine for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Two of these violations include the failure to secure primates.

The center also received a citation from the USDA in 2023 for a violation related to improper care of enclosures, which could have negative effects on primate health.

An expert on primate experimentation from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released a statement claiming the facility’s recent actions “endanger the public and consistently fail to improve human health. ”

“They breed, import, sell and experiment with monkeys. Generally they are macaques. Alpha Genesis has approximately 6,000 macaques in their colonies,” said Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel. ‘They’re scared, they’re hungry, they’re cold, they’re wet. I mean, it rained last night. They try to get as far away as possible.”

Nancy Mace, representative of South Carolina Congressional District 1, released the following statement in a message to X:

We are diligently gathering all relevant information to keep our constituents informed of the recent primate escape from Alpha Genesis Inc. in Beaufort County. Our office has communicated directly with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and is working closely with their team to monitor and assess the situation. We are withholding formal statements until we have a full understanding of all the facts. Stay informed…

Police and officers are asking the public to stay away from the Castle Hall Road facility as the monkeys are skittish and any additional noise or movement could prevent them from being recaptured.

Authorities say anyone who finds one of the monkeys should not approach the animal and should call 911 immediately.

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