Here’s what we know about the SC facility where 43 monkeys just escaped

There are 43 monkeys that have escaped from a South Carolina facility that breeds cynomolgus, rhesus and capuchin monkeys for government, university and private industry research projects.

The Yemassee Police Department originally reported that 40 monkeys escaped, but shared an updated report on Thursday afternoon that 43 of the animals got out.

According to its website, Alpha Genesis, Inc. provides non-human primates for research, contracts research services, does diagnostic testing on primates and provides primate biological products, like blood and tissue samples.

The company, which opened in 2003, also “provides enriched housing facilities for nonhuman primates in both CDC quarantine and non-quarantine settings on a cost-effective per diem basis,” according to the site.

But this isn’t the first time monkeys have escaped from Alpha Genesis. Between 2014 and 2016, the United States Department of Agriculture cited the facility for four incidents where monkeys got out of Alpha Genesis enclosures.

Yemassee monkey breeding facility fined $12K for escape violations

In 2014, 26 monkeys escaped and were recaptured within 48 hours. A week later, another monkey got out and was never caught.

Two additional monkeys escaped six months later, one of which died from internal injuries after it was shot with a dart. Then, in 2016, yet another monkey got out after its cage was closed with a clip, instead of a lock.

The USDA fined Alpha Genesis $12,600 for the escapes and two additional violations — one where at least six monkeys suffered severe dehydration and another where a monkey suffered fatal injuries after being placed in the wrong social group enclosure.

“When you have monkeys out in open-air corrals, they’re monkeys. Occasionally they’re going to get out, walls fall down; storms come through,” CEO and President Greg Westergaard said at the time. “They always return, though.”

At the time Westergaard said the monkeys typically don’t stray far unless they’re frightened, adding that they pose no risk to the public.

Last night, the Yemassee Police Department confirmed that 40 monkeys escaped from the facility on Castle Hall Road. The department said traps were set in the area and police were using thermal imaging cameras to locate the monkeys.

“Residents are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes,” Yemassee Police wrote on social media. “If you spot any of the escaped animals, please contact 911 immediately and refrain from approaching them.”