Dozens of monkeys are on the loose in South Carolina. Residents in Yemassee and surrounding areas have been “strongly advised” to secure all doors and windows to prevent the animals from entering their homes.
Forty monkeys escaped from Alpha Genesis , a primate research facility in Yemassee, a small town about 26 miles from Beaufort, Wednesday Yemassee Police Department said in a post on Facebook . The department did not specify which monkeys escaped the facility. The company’s website says it conducts research projects for government, university, and private industry clients with cynomolgous, rhesus, and capuchin 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 post department said in an update around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, adding the department is collaborating with Alpha Genesis personnel to resolve this situation.
Authorities advised residents to “refrain from approaching” the monkeys and immediately call 911 if they see any of the escaped animals.