Thursday, February 27

All 43 research monkeys that escaped South Carolina facility have been recaptured

According to a Friday update from the Yemassee Police Department, all 43 study monkeys who fled from a facility in South Carolina in November have been safely returned.

After a caretaker neglected to properly secure a door, the monkeys escaped from the Alpha Genesis facility and ended up in the wooded area around the building. Before they were all discovered, it’s unclear where the primates roamed.

At the time, local residents were advised to lock their doors and windows and to dial 911 if they saw any of the primates.

Police at the time stated, “We advise the public to avoid the area to prevent further frightening these animals, as they are extremely sensitive and easily startled.”

Police claimed the re-captured monkeys “are in good health,” according to Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard.

Westergaard described the hunt for the primates as a true team and communal effort.

Police said the monkeys are all extremely young females, weighing between 6 and 7 pounds. Alpha Genesis carries out medical research on a variety of ailments, including brain illnesses, for a variety of clientele.

The nonprofit Humane Society of the United States’ vice president of animal research concerns, Kathleen Conlee, expressed concern about the animals’ future.

In actuality, that entails either being used as breeders and having their children taken away for that fate, or being sent to a laboratory for a lifetime of agony and eventually death,” Conlee stated.

In favor of “more effective technologies based on human biology that don’t involve the suffering of animals,” Conlee stated that the Humane Society is committed to abandoning the practice of raising and testing monkeys.

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