One of 43 monkeys kept for medical research in South Carolina has been safely recovered after being lost, officials said Saturday. A few other monkeys were still seen at some distance from the property and were jumping in and out of the center’s fence, police said in a statement.
The escape happened Wednesday at the Yemase center of an organization called Alpha Genesis, when an employee did not close the door properly while feeding and examining the monkeys, officials said. On Friday, the monkeys were close to the outer fence and were “bouncing” the monkeys inside. Even on Saturday, the monkeys were seen interacting with the monkeys inside the centre, which the police took as a positive sign.
Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said efforts to retrieve all the monkeys will continue through the end of the week, and as long as necessary.
These monkeys are about the size of a cat and weigh about 7 pounds (3 kg). All monkeys are female. Alpha Genesis, federal health officials and police have clarified that the monkeys pose no threat to public health. The center maintains monkeys for medical and other research purposes.
According to Alpha Genesis’ website, the center supplies monkeys for research worldwide, and its center in Yemsey, South Carolina, is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Savannah, Georgia.