OAN Staff James Meyers
2:00 PM – Friday, November 8, 2024
Hide your bananas!
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Over 40 monkeys in South Carolina are still on the loose after escaping from a medical research center on Thursday, with some of the primates spotted dangling from nearby trees, officials announced.
An employee at the facility had reportedly left an enclosure door open, which allowed the monkey to make a dash.
A total of 43 primates broke out of the Alpha Genesis lab in Yemassee on Thursday, and they have been on the run in the area for more than a day, according to local police, who have now urged neighbors to secure their doors, windows, and keep pets inside.
Some of the female Rhesus monkeys, which are around six pounds heavy, were first spotted roaming around the roof of a warehouse and were later seen gathering food at a local food pantry, according to WSAV.com.
The monkeys were able to break out on Thursday morning after a worker cleaning their enclosure had left the door partially open, the lab’s CEO Greg Westergaard said.
Meanwhile, none of the 43 monkeys have been captured as of Friday afternoon, but Westergaard assured that the animals are likely to return on their own.
Additionally, the center told police that the monkeys were too young to carry disease, although it wasn’t immediately clear if they were incapable of contracting disease.
“These animals are highly sensitive and easily startled, we recommend that the public avoid the area to prevent frightening them further,” Yemassee police said in a statement.
“They are not infected with any disease whatsoever. They are harmless and a little skittish,” Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander said Thursday morning.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 11 monkeys escaped from the same research center through a broken chain link fence back in 2022.
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