The 43 rhesus macaque monkeys that escaped a South Carolina medical lab this week are among the most studied animals on the planet. And for more than a century, they have held a mirror to humanity, revealing our strengths and weaknesses through their own clever behaviors, organ systems and genetic code.
The bare-faced primates with expressive eyes have been launched on rockets into space. Their genome has been mapped. They have even been stars of a reality TV show.
Animal rights groups point out that the species has been subjected to studies on vaccines, organ transplants and the impact of separating infants from mothers. At the same time, many in the scientific community will tell you just how vital their research is to fighting AIDS, polio and COVID-19.
In 2003, a nationwide shortage of rhesus macaques threatened to slow down studies and scientists were paying up to $10,000 per animal to continue their work.
“Every large research university in the United States probably has some rhesus macaques hidden somewhere in the basement of its medical school,” according to the 2007 book, “Macachiavellian Intelligence: How Rhesus Macaques and Humans Have Conquered the World.”