Authorities in a town in South Carolina “strongly advised” residents to keep their windows and doors locked after at least forty-three primates escaped from a research laboratory and went on the loose Thursday.

“At this point, none have been captured,” the Yemassee Police Department said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

Traps were being set around the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center in Yemassee, where the Rhesus Macaque monkeys escaped en masse from their enclosures around 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.



Forty-three rhesus macaque monkey escaped from the Alpha Genesis research lab Castle Hall…Show more

Yemassee Police Department via Meta

Yemassee Town Administrator Matthew Garnes said during a briefing Thursday with town officials that the monkeys escaped when a new employee at the Alpha Genesis center left the door to their enclosure open.

Police officers were searching for the furry fugitives using thermal imaging cameras, according to the sheriff’s office.

The primates, according to police, are all very young females weighing 6 to 7 pounds each.

“The animals have never been used for testing due to their young age and size,” the Yemassee Police Department said in a statement Thursday. “A spokesperson from Alpha Genesis can confirm that these animals are too young to carry diseases.”

Police warned residents that the monkeys can act “skittish and any additional noise or movement could hinder their safe capture.”

“Residents are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes,” the sheriff’s office said. “If you spot any of the escaped animals, please contact 911 immediately and refrain from approaching them.”

“At this point, none have been captured,” the Yemassee Police Department said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

Traps were being set around the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center in Yemassee, where the Rhesus Macaque monkeys escaped en masse from their enclosures around 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.



Forty-three rhesus macaque monkey escaped from the Alpha Genesis research lab Castle Hall…Show more

Yemassee Police Department via Meta

Yemassee Town Administrator Matthew Garnes said during a briefing Thursday with town officials that the monkeys escaped when a new employee at the Alpha Genesis center left the door to their enclosure open.

Police officers were searching for the furry fugitives using thermal imaging cameras, according to the sheriff’s office.

The primates, according to police, are all very young females weighing 6 to 7 pounds each.

“The animals have never been used for testing due to their young age and size,” the Yemassee Police Department said in a statement Thursday. “A spokesperson from Alpha Genesis can confirm that these animals are too young to carry diseases.”

Police warned residents that the monkeys can act “skittish and any additional noise or movement could hinder their safe capture.”

“Residents are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes,” the sheriff’s office said. “If you spot any of the escaped animals, please contact 911 immediately and refrain from approaching them.”