Monkey mayhem as dozens of primates escape South Carolina research center

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Residents in a South Carolina town were advised to close their windows and doors after 43 rhesus macaque monkeys escaped a testing facility Thursday.

The warning came after the primates fled the “Alpha Genesis facility located on Castle Hall Road,” the Yemassee Police Department (YPD) posted on social media. 

“Residents are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes,” the department said.

A spokesperson from Alpha Genesis confirmed to Fox News Digital that the monkeys were too young to carry diseases, saying that they were too young for testing.

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Authorities in Yemassee, S.C., have warned the town’s residents to “keep doors and windows secured” after the escape of 43 rhesus macaque monkeys from a nearby biomedical animal housing facility. (Yemassee Police Department )

Alpha Genesis said that traps were set up in the area and police were using thermal imaging cameras in an attempt to locate the vanishing monkeys.

“Traps have been set up around the area, and the Yemassee Police Department is currently on-site utilizing thermal imaging cameras in an attempt to locate the animals,” the organization said.

Police and Alpha Genesis researchers stressed that locals should “refrain from approaching” any of the monkeys, and instead immediately contact 911 if they are spotted. (Alpha Genesis)

In an update at 1 p.m. Thursday, the YPD said that it had eyes on the primates and were attempting to entice them with food.

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The monkeys are said to weigh 6 to 7 pounds, and described by police as “skittish.”

Rhesus macaque monkeys are native to Asia. (Md Rafayat Haque Khan/ Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Alpha Genesis is responsible for the maintenance, feeding, and veterinary care of monkeys at its primary facility in Yemassee.

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The facility is home to around 6,500 animals.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Yemassee Police Department for comment.

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Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. 

Story tips and ideas can be sent to sarah.rumpf@fox.com and on X: @s_rumpfwhitten.