A wild Rhesus macaque monkey carries her infant in Old Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2021. 43 primates of this type escaped from an enclosure Wednesday at the Alpha Genesis research facility in Yemassee, S.C. 18 remained on the loose Sunday. Photo by Monirul Alam/EPA-EFE
Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Nearly half of the 43 monkeys that escaped from a research facility in Yemassee, S.C., have been recovered, local police said Sunday, but 18 remain on the loose.
Police said that the recovered macaques have undergone veterinary exams and are reported to be in good health, but a "sizable group remains active along the fence line and at this time have bedded down in the trees for the night," police said in a statement Sunday.
The rhesus macaque primates escaped from the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center on Wednesday. The company's Chief executive officer, Greg Westergaard, told police Saturday that recovery efforts will continue "for as long as it takes," according to a statement.
Among the largest in the nation, the facility specializes in nonhuman primate research for the biomedical research community. It is designed specifically for monkeys, and has more than 100 acres of land for research and breeding purposes, according to its website.
Alpha Genesis rescue team members are using specially designed traps that contain a trap door to try to recover the primates that are still outside the facility.
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Local residents have been asked to stay away from the monkeys and to keep their doors and windows closed as team members work to recover the macaques that have yet to be rescued.
"The primates continue to interact with their companions inside the facility, which is a positive sign," the YPD said of the monkeys that still have not been captured.
The macaques escaped Wednesday after a caretaker at the facility failed to properly secure a door on an enclosure containing 50 monkeys. Forty-three of them walked out, Westergaard told CBS News.
"It's really like follow-the-leader," he said. "You see one go and the others go."
Half of escaped research monkeys recovered in South Carolina
Nov. 9 (UPI) -- More than half of the 43 monkeys that escaped from a research facility in Yemassee, S.C., have been recovered, local police said Sunday.
Rescue workers from the Alpha Genesis research facility continued to try to recover the remaining 18.
"We are pleased to report that one of the escaped primates has been successfully recovered unharmed," the Yemassee Police Department posted on Facebook Saturday at noon EST.
"A significant number of the remaining primates are still located just a few yards from the property, jumping back and forth over the facility's fence," the YPD said.
The monkeys are among 43 rhesus macaque primates that left an enclosure at the Alpha Genesis research facility on Wednesday.
A caretaker did not secure a door properly on the enclosure containing 50 monkeys, and 43 of them left while seven others stayed in the enclosure, Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard told CBS News.
"It's really like follow-the-leader," Westergaard said. "You see one go and the others go."
He said the loose monkeys are staying close to the facility.
Baited traps and thermal imaging cameras were placed Thursday to capture the monkeys, and Alpha Genesis staff continue feeding and monitoring them while the recovery effort also is ongoing.
"The primates continue to interact with their companions inside the facility, which is a positive sign," the YPD said.
The effort to recover the escaped monkeys will continue for as long as it takes, Westergaard told the YPD.
Local residents are advised to keep their doors and windows shut and locked while the recovery effort continues.
"We strongly urge the public to refrain from entering the area surrounding the facility as these animals can be easily startled," the YPD said on Facebook.
Yemassee is about 60 miles west of Charleston.
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