After 43 monkeys escaped from a research facility in a small South Carolina town, police on Thursday urged residents to lock up their homes and avoid getting close to the animals under any circumstances.
The young female rhesus macaque escaped on Wednesday, the Yemassee, South Carolina, police department said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.
The police in the town, which has a population of about 2,000 people, are helping employees of the Alpha Genesis Research Center search for the fugitives.
The police department said on social media that search teams were “working to lure them with food.”
“We urge residents to keep their doors and windows securely closed and to report any sighting immediately by calling 911. Please do not attempt to approach these animals under any circumstances,” she said.
The police did not explain how the monkeys escaped from their enclosures. Alpha Genesis, which specializes in primate-based biomedical research, did not respond to an email from Reuters Or return the call.
Police said they were told by Alpha Genesis that the monkeys had never been used in tests and were too small to carry the disease.
Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said the escape was “frustrating.” CBS News He “hopes for a happy ending” with the primates returning of their own volition.
He said the primates were able to roam freely after a caretaker failed to secure a door in an enclosure.
“It’s really like following the leader. You see one go and the others go,” Vestergaard said.