More than 40 monkeys escaped from a research hospital in Yemassee, South Carolina, on Thursday, creating a real-life Jumanji-movie situation. However, local officials reassured citizens that there was “almost no harm” to the community.
The incident took place on Wednesday when a new employee at the Alpha Genesis biomedical research centre in Yemassee improperly secured an wall, allowing the rhinoceros macaques, who were being called “skittish” by the police, to elude.
People are advised to keep doors and windows locked to stop these creatures from entering houses, according to a Facebook post from the Yemassee Police Department.
” They are not infected with any condition anymore. They are safe and a small skittish, according to Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander.
The authorities said that all 43 escaped primates were young female primates, each weighing approximately 7 pounds ( 3 kilograms ), and were too small to have undergone any testing procedures.
According to a statement made earlier in the day, Alpha Genesis workers “have eye on the monkeys and are working to persuade them with food.”
On social press, the neighborhood police department stated that they had dispatched research groups to find the monkeys and were “working to persuade them with food.”
People are urged to stay their windows and doors locked and to promptly report any sightings by dialing 911. Please do not try to approach these creatures under any circumstances”, they added.
Greg Westergaard, CEO of Alpha Genesis, expressed his disappointment with the leave and told CBS News that he is “hoping for a happy end” with the apes deliberately returning.
Westergaard confirmed that the incident took place when a team member failed to properly plug an enclosure door, allowing the monkeys to leave. ” It’s really like follow-the-leader. You see one go and the people go”, he added.
A well-known nonhuman primate research center called Alpha Genesis serves the medical research industry.
Their website indicates that the formation spans more than 100 hectares dedicated to research and breeding activities, making it one of the world’s largest purpose-built monkey services.
