Police in South Carolina are searching for 43 Rhesus monkeys that mysteriously escaped from a bio research laboratory.
Officials warned South Carolina residents to keep their doors and windows locked.
But a police chief said there is no danger to the public, according to ABC News.
“They are not infected with any disease whatsoever. They are harmless and a little skittish,” Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander said Thursday morning.
The monkeys were caged in an outdoor enclosure at Alpha Genesis on Wednesday. They escaped when they noticed a new employee didn’t latch the gate properly.
The monkeys are females weighing about 7 pounds (3 kilograms). They are so young and small that they haven’t been used for testing, officials said.
According to its website, Alpha Genesis, Inc. provides non-human primates for research and testing for government, university and private industry projects.
Monkeys are used in COVID vaccine trials since their DNA is genetically similar to human DNA.
This isn’t the first time monkeys have escaped from Alpha Genesis lab. The facility was cited and fined by the United States Department of Agriculture for four incidents where monkeys escaped between 2014 and 2016.
In 2014, 26 monkeys escaped and were recaptured within 48 hours. A week later, another monkey got out and was never caught.
?Update: 40x monkeys escape from Alpha Genesis bio-research lab in South Carolina! Are they infected with newly developed viruses?? pic.twitter.com/OPCqSbFFux
— US Civil Defense News (@CaptCoronado) November 7, 2024
Monkeys were about to tear him to pieces. Slippers just floating in the water ? pic.twitter.com/lFZ832fO9v
— Boochie is the Name (@stoppfeenin) November 7, 2024
