Curious case of the missing monkeys turns spotlight on South Carolina lab

Eight monkeys that escaped from a research facility in South Carolina are still at large as of Friday morning, while 35 have been recaptured, officials say.

It’s been more than a week since 43 monkeys escaped from the Alpha Genesis research facility near Yemassee, South Carolina, after a caretaker failed to secure the door after feeding the monkeys and cleaning their enclosure.

Authorities say that all of the monkeys are young females, weighing approximately six to seven pounds.

At the beginning of this week, 13 monkeys were still unaccounted for. By Tuesday evening, local authorities reported that two more monkeys had been safely captured and were eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner.

Authorities confirmed that three additional monkeys had been safely recovered on Wednesday, leaving only eight of the primates still at large. All of those recaptured are in good health and efforts to safely capture the remaining primates will continue as long as it takes.

Some of the missing monkeys were seen in the woods adjacent to the research facility, local officials said, adding that they had been “heard cooing back and forth to each other”.

Since the escape on 6 November, the public in Yemassee and the surrounding areas has been advised to avoid the area, as the animals have been described as “skittish”. Residents were also encouraged to keep their doors and windows closed and to report any sightings.

Officials have also requested that the public avoid using drones near the facility. Earlier in the week, they reported that a drone incident “spooked” the monkeys, increasing their stress levels and complicating efforts to recapture them.

The research facility also noted that the animals had not been used for testing as they are too young, and do not carry diseases, so they don’t pose any infectious threat to humans.

A local Yemassee resident shared photos of some monkeys in trees on Facebook this week.

“Look closely! You will see the monkeys,” the user wrote. “They were playful, curious and jumping from tree to tree. Sticking close to the rear of the facility.”

The user said she let a security guard know and alerted a nearby Yemassee police officer.

The research lab that the monkeys escaped from, named Alpha Genesis, provides “nonhuman primate products and bio-research services”, according to its website. The company breeds monkeys to sell to medical facilities and other researchers.

In 2018, it was reported that Alpha Genesis received a grant of more than $1m for a multi-year project to use the monkeys as a developmental model for progressive brain disorders, including common forms of dementia.

The species of monkey at Alpha Genesis that escaped are rhesus macaques, which have been used in scientific research since the late 1800s/early 1900s, said Noah Snyder-Mackler, a professor in the life science department at Arizona State University.

“They quickly became the premier biomedical research animal, because they were relatively easy to breed and keep in captivity,” Snyder-Mackler said. “Rhesus macaques specifically are some of the most adaptable monkeys.”

Many in the scientific community point to how vital research using these primates is in fighting Aids, polio and Covid-19, according to the Associated Press,

Snyder-Mackler said these monkeys were interesting from a “biomedical perspective to help us understand many things about human health and wellbeing” and also from a “basic evolutionary biology and anthropological perspective” as they are adaptable and have complex social behaviors.

He added that he wasn’t surprised to hear that they escaped after a door at the facility was left open, as “they’re very curious monkeys”.

The news of the escape has made headlines over the past week, inspiring many internet memes and leading people online to root for the monkeys and draw comparisons to films like Planet of the Apes.

The recent escape has also led to people voicing concerns about animal research facilities and the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center itself, as this is reportedly not the first time animals have escaped from this facility, which is said to house about 7,000 monkeys.

In 2016, 19 monkeys escaped from the same facility, according to the Post and Courier newspaper, but were returned after six hours. Earlier, in 2014, 26 macaques reportedly escaped and were captured within two days.

Documents from federal regulators from previous years revealed other incidents at the facility, as reported by the New York Times. One involved a primate escaping while being transported to the medical clinic and subsequently disappearing into the woods. Another involved two monkeys breaking out of their outdoor chain-link enclosure, which reportedly resulted in one monkey being lured back inside and the other dying shortly after being recaptured.

In 2017, the Department of Agriculture fined the company more than $12,000 partly due to failures to contain the animals, according to the New York Times.

The escape has drawn the attention of the local Republican congresswoman, Nancy Mace, who sent a letter to the US Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health this week demanding an inquiry and briefing regarding the facility and the escape, calling it “the latest in a long list of violations from this USDA and NIH-funded laboratory”.

In her letter, Mace said that “for years, Alpha Genesis has racked up federal contracts and taxpayer dollars while consistently violating animal welfare laws and exposing the public to dangerous escapes”.

Mace said that despite receiving over $110m in taxpayer funding since 2008 including $19m this year alone, Alpha Genesis had a “disturbing history of animal welfare violations and public safety risks”.

Alpha Genesis did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Guardian regarding Mace’s remarks.