Ahh! Monkeys on the Loose (and I Ain’t Talking About Congress)

If you live in the United States, you may see plenty of monkeys, deer, animals, and other animals running around outside your house, but primates are n’t often on that list. That is, unless you live in Yemassee, South Carolina. &nbsp,

Last year, 43 rhinoceros macaque monkeys escaped from Alpha Genesis, a supplier of “nonhuman animal items and bio-research solutions”, according to their site. The first step was to try to get the monkeys with the assistance of Alpha Genesis workers and local police. As of November 14, they’d captured 35 of them. Despite promises that the monkeys were good and not a threat to the public, policeman advised residents to stay away from the location. They were apparently being used for immunization developments. &nbsp,

Local South Carolina news outlets spoke with business owners and residents of the area, and they said they are used to seeing occasional monkeys along the side of the road but do n’t consider it because the research facility is close by. And they’ve never seen that some monkeys at once. &nbsp,

As you might imagine, plenty of X users had fun with the story, posting memes and half-hearted conspiracy theories, ranging from” Planet of the Apes” comparisons ( because how do monkeys simply “escape” a facility? ) to jokes about how Dr. Anthony Fauci must be behind the whole thing ( because, well, how do monkeys simply “escape” a facility? ). Some also speculated that because it occurred the day after Election Day, it was suspicious. &nbsp,

A few days after the monkeys escaped, a Horry County, South Carolina person took to social media to announce that his father’s hippos had also escaped from apartment, which prompted even more website laughter. In a text message to a local news outlet, also Greg Lucas, a spokeswoman for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, wrote,” First monkeys and now an euro!” SC may be the new Florida” !&nbsp,

All jokes aside, this is n’t the first time Alpha Genesis has received negative attention. In 2017, the facility had to pay a$ 12, 600 fine for violating the Animal Welfare Act. The United States Department of Agriculture issued a warning to them in 2022 regarding issues involving animal cover, handling, and animal care.

Additionally, the facility’s neighbor, South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace, is calling for a national investigation. Mace stated in a text to the Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Health:”  

Alpha Genesis has a disturbing history of animal welfare violations and risks to public safety despite receiving more than$ 110 million in taxpayer funding since 2008, including$ 19 million this year alone. Housing over 10, 000 primates, including 3, 300 on NIH’s questionable Monkey Island, the lab has faced numerous national citations for illegal enclosures, poor clinical care, and avoidable animal deaths. Yet supervision remains modest, with recent inspections confirming several violations, including escaped primates and deadly overlook.

So far, it does n’t sound like either agency has responded. &nbsp, &nbsp,

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