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Shop NowPolice in Beaufort County, South Carolina, are advising everyone in the “Lowcountry” area to avoid contact with “43 monkeys that escaped from a research facility.” They haven’t been experimented on but they aren’t safe to go near, either. Authorities have the matter in hand, they claim.
Research monkeys loose
Officials with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office alerted the public that they’re “on the hunt” for 43 escaped monkeys. The rhesus macaques “busted out of Alpha Genesis, a company that breeds primates for medical testing and research.”
It appears that “a keeper left their pen open.” They’ve been spotted in “a part of the state known as the Lowcountry.” Deputies suggest residents “keep their doors and windows securely closed.”
If you spot one of the monkeys, report it immediately. All the ones which escaped are “young females, weighing about 7lbs each.” The Yemassee Police Department issued a statement on Thursday, November 7.
“Please do not attempt to approach these animals under any circumstances,” they warn. The lab, they note, “had located the ‘skittish‘ group.” They’re using some of their favorite food as bait.
YPD further explains that “traps had been set in the area.” They’re also having a blast using some of the high tech cop equipment which has been collecting dust in the supply closet.
Officers finally get to play with the “thermal imaging cameras in an attempt to locate the animals.” It’s great practice. If they can find monkeys, a fugitive won’t stand a chance evading them.
No fears of disease
For fans of the old Bruce Willis movie, there aren’t any fears of impending Apocalypse. Police were quick to relate that “the research company has told them that because of their size, the monkeys have not yet been tested on.”
Not only are they healthy and well cared for, they’re “too young to carry disease.” That doesn’t mean the lab isn’t concerned.
Greg Westergaard, CEO of Alpha Genesis, calls the escape “frustrating.” He has a lot invested in those animals. He had the door to their pen left open, hoping that the girls would come home on their own.
Once they got a taste of freedom they weren’t looking back. He’s still “hoping for a happy ending.” They might have recaptured them sooner but there was rain and the monkeys “hunkered down.”
Westergaard informs that since they escaped on Wednesday, they were “hanging out in the woods.” It’s one of those “monkey see, monkey do” sort of situations. “It’s really like follow-the-leader. You see one go and the others go.”
Originally there were 50 of the monkeys but 7 stayed behind when the rest “bolted out the door.” He’s not concerned about them finding food but they aren’t going to be stumbling on any apples around there. That’s what “they really like.” A few ripe, juicy ones left in the right places should get them rounded up in no time. Hopefully, “that will draw them in the next day or two.“
