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Law enforcement officers in the South Carolina Lowcountry are on the hunt for dozens of monkeys which escaped a scientific research facility near Yemassee on Wednesday evening (November 6, 2024).
Officers with the Yemassee Police Department (YPD) are currently searching for 43 rhesus macaque primates that escaped from a local research facility overnight.
Hopefully these monkeys will fare better than the last macaque to go missing in the area…
The primates in question escaped from Alpha Genesis – a facility known by most locals as the ‘monkey farm’ – located on Castle Hall Road. According to its website, Alpha Genesis provides “primate research and development support to the scientific community.”
This has not been the first escape incident tied to Alpha Genesis. Eight years ago, 19 monkeys escaped and were returned after six hours on the run.
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At 9:45 p.m. EST, the YPD put a notice out on Facebook advising residents to stay indoors – and to keep doors and windows secured to prevent the monkeys from entering homes. According to the post, traps have been set and thermal imaging is being used to assist with locating the animals.
Police have asked the public not to interact with any escaped primates if they encounter one, but to call 911 immediately.
In an update posted at 9:20 a.m. EST on Thursday, police confirmed none of the primates have been captured yet. Local law enforcement is working closely with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) and state agricultural and wildlife officials to manage this incident effectively and humanely.
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The Lowcountry has had a rash of escaped primates over the past six months. In May of this year, a fifteen-year-old Japanese macaque named Bradley was shot and killed after he escaped from his residential habitat in Walterboro.
The shooting unfolded after a multi-day search chronicled with sightings of the primate on social media…
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Jenn Wood is FITSNews’ incomparable research director. She’s also the producer of the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts and leading expert on all things Murdaugh/ South Carolina justice. A former private investigator with a criminal justice degree, evildoers beware, Jenn Wood is far from your average journalist! A deep dive researcher with a passion for truth and a heart for victims, this mom of two is pretty much a superhero in FITSNews country. Did we mention she’s married to a rocket scientist? (Lucky guy!) Got a story idea or a tip for Jenn? Email her at jenn@fitsnews.com.
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2 comments
These must have been bad monkeys for them to escape like that. Hopefully someone will spank them for misbehaving, before returning them to their cells.
I’ve heard nothing but bad things about Yemassee PD. All from credible sources of mine.
– doesn’t address crime in their jurisdiction
-,Only writes tickets to people passing through on I-95 and US-17.
– shucks their calls for service.
– employs all other local department rejects or terminated officers.
– writes tickets for state offenses then has people plea to city ordinance in court for an astronomical fine but no points.
– tickets written outside jurisdiction.
– the department is mostly unmarked cars.
– officers getting paid low wages writing 2-300 tickets a month, leading folks to believe kick backs are going on.
Fits should do some digging on HPD. If that news has traveled to the upstate imagine what people in the lowcountry know.