If you need some inspiration to kick back and relax this weekend, the freedom to “have fun exploring” with your newfound monkeys who escaped from a research facility in South Carolina on Wednesday and are still as of noon Friday Look no further than a group of uninhibited monkeys. Freedom.
in Friday updateThe Yemassee, South Carolina, police department announced that 43 young female rhesus macaques remain in the vicinity of the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Facility. “The primate exhibited calm and playful behavior, which is a positive sign,” the department said.
The fun-loving furball was released after the caretaker “failed to secure the door” to the facility.
Alpha Genesis staff are monitoring the fugitives and trying to lure them back with food. However, instead of eating, the primates continue to communicate by playing on the outer fence and cooing with the monkeys inside.
“They’re just goofy monkeys jumping around and playing with each other,” said Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard. he told CBS News on Thursday.. “This is a playground situation.”
Yamasee police note that the monkeys are very young and small, weighing only about 6 to 7 pounds each. They have not yet been used for any testing, do not carry any disease, and do not pose a health risk to the public. Still, residents in the area are advised to keep their doors and windows locked in case the tiny primate attempts to visit.
This isn’t the first time, or even the second time, that Alpha Genesis has had trouble controlling the monkeys. In 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture fined the company $12,600 for violations from 2014 to 2016. four monkeys breakout. A total of 30 monkeys escaped during these incidents. I couldn’t find one.
