More Than Half of the 43 Escaped Monkeys Recaptured

UPDATE Nov 11, 2024 12:30 AM CST

More than half of the monkeys bred for medical research that escaped from a compound in South Carolina last week have now been recovered unharmed, officials said Sunday. Twenty-four monkeys were captured on Sunday, a day after another of the 43 escaped monkeys was recovered, the AP reports. A "sizeable group" remains active along the compound's fence line and bedded down in the trees for the night, police in Yemassee, about 50 miles northeast of Savannah, Georgia, said in a statement. Veterinarians have been examining the animals and initial reports indicate they are all in good health, police said.

Nov 10, 2024 8:34 AM CST

One of 43 monkeys bred for medical research that escaped a compound in South Carolina has been recovered unharmed, officials said Saturday. Many of the others are still located a few yards from the property, jumping back and forth over the facility's fence, police said. The rhesus macaques made a break for it Wednesday after an employee at the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee didn't fully lock a door as she fed and checked on them, officials said.

The monkeys on Friday were exploring the outer fence of the Alpha Genesis compound and were cooing at the monkeys inside. That the primates continued to interact with their companions inside the facility was seen as a positive sign. Alpha Genesis, federal health officials, and police all said the monkeys pose no risk to public health. The facility about 50 miles northeast of Savannah, Georgia, breeds the monkeys to sell to medical and other researchers.

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