YEMASSEE, S.C. — The Yemassee Police Department is working to locate several primates after they escaped from a nearby research center, according to reports from WCIV.
The primates escaped from the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center on Castle Hall Road in Yemassee on Wednesday, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies told WCIV that at least 40 primates have escaped from the Alpha Genesis facility.
Traps have been set up around the area, and the Yemassee Police Department said it is on-site utilizing thermal imaging cameras in an attempt to locate the animals.
Residents in the area are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes.
The sheriff’s office is also advising anyone who comes across one of the escaped primates to not interact with them but to call 911 immediately.
The police chief said there is “almost no danger” to the public, The Associated Press reported.
“They are not infected with any disease whatsoever. They are harmless and a little skittish,” Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander said Thursday morning.
The monkeys are females weighing about 7 pounds and are so young and small that they haven’t been used for testing, police said.
The company usually handles escapes on site, but the monkeys got outside the compound about 1 mile from downtown Yemassee, Alexander said.
“The handlers know them well and usually can get them back with fruit or a little treat,” Alexander told The Associated Press by phone.
Alpha Genesis, Inc. is a provider of nonhuman primate products and bio-research services, according to WCIV.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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