South Carolina Lab Escape: 24 Monkeys Recovered Unharmed

Officials announced Sunday that 24 of the 43 Rhesus macaques that escaped from a South Carolina medical research facility last week have been safely recovered.

The monkeys escaped from Alpha Genesis in Beaufort County on Wednesday when an employee failed to fully secure a door during routine feeding and health checks. The incident prompted immediate action from the Yemassee Police Department, which deployed “multiple officers collaborating with Alpha Genesis personnel to resolve this situation.”

Newsweek contacted Alpha Genesis via email on Sunday for comment.

“Traps have been set up around the area, and the Yemassee Police Department is currently on-site utilizing thermal imaging cameras in an attempt to locate the animals,” authorities said on Facebook.

Police advised residents to “keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes” and urged the public to “contact 911 immediately and refrain from approaching them” if any escaped monkeys are spotted.

The remaining primates have been observed exploring the facility’s outer fence line and interacting with monkeys still inside the compound, a behavior pattern that has assisted recovery efforts. Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard confirmed that recovery efforts will continue until all animals are safely returned to the facility, which is located approximately 50 miles northeast of Savannah, Georgia.

This incident has brought renewed attention to Alpha Genesis’s safety record and operational practices. The lab facility, which provides “nonhuman primate products and bio-research services” across North America, Europe, and Asia, maintains one of the largest and most comprehensive nonhuman primate facilities specifically designed for monkeys in the United States. Their work includes supporting clinical trials for research on progressive brain disorders.

However, the company’s history reveals previous safety concerns. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal (USDA) and Plant Health Inspection Service has scrutinized the facility following several monkey deaths in its care.

A detailed USDA report identified serious infrastructure issues, citing “enclosures lacking appropriate structural strength and design,” which created “opportunities for escape, entrapment, or unintended interactions with other animals, potentially resulting in injury or death to the animals.”

The report documented specific incidents that raised alarm about facility practices. These included a monkey death resulting from incorrect socialization procedures when staff members placed primates in non-socialized groups, and a tragic incident where an infant primate became fatally entangled in mesh designed to hold a water bottle. Following these incidents, the USDA noted that the company had “implemented improvements of the facility’s standard operating procedures.”

This week’s escape isn’t unprecedented for Alpha Genesis. In 2016, the facility faced a similar situation when 19 monkeys escaped their enclosures. That incident was resolved more quickly, with all primates rounded up and returned within six hours, according to The Post and Courier of Charleston.

A “sizeable group” of escaped monkeys remains active near the compound’s fence line, with some taking shelter in nearby trees. Veterinarians examining the recovered animals report they are all in good health, providing some reassurance as efforts continue to locate and retrieve the remaining primates.

The escaped monkeys, all females weighing approximately 7 pounds and roughly the size of house cats, pose no public health risk, according to facility officials and local authorities.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.