After 43 monkeys escaped from a research facility in a small South Carolina town, police on Thursday urged residents to lock their homes and avoid approaching the animals under any circumstances.
In a statement posted to its Facebook page, the Yemassee, South Carolina, police department said the young rhesus macaques escaped on Wednesday.
Police in this city of about 2,000 people were helping employees of the Alpha Genesis research center search for the fugitives.
Search teams were “working to lure them out with food,” the police department said on social media.
“Residents are urged to keep their doors and windows securely closed and to report any sightings immediately by calling 911. Please do not attempt to approach these animals under any circumstances,” he said.
Police did not say how the monkeys escaped from their enclosures. Alpha Genesis, which specializes in primate-based biomedical research, did not respond to an email from Reuters or return a call.
Police said Alpha Genesis had informed them that the monkeys had never been used for testing and were too young to carry diseases.
Greg Westergaard, CEO of Alpha Genesis, said the leak was “frustrating” and said CBS News he is “hoping for a happy ending” with the primates returning of their own free will.
He said the primates were able to roam freely after a keeper failed to secure a door in an enclosure.
“It's really like following the leader. You see one go and the others go,” Westergaard said.
