Monkey mayhem as dozens of primates escape South Carolina research center

Residents of a South Carolina town were advised to close their windows and doors after 43 rhesus macaques escaped from a testing facility on Thursday.

The warning came after the primates escaped from the “Alpha Genesis facility located on Castle Hall Road,” the Yemassee Police Department (YPD) wrote on social media.

“Residents are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering their homes,” the department said.

An Alpha Genesis spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that the monkeys were too young to carry diseases and said they were too young to be tested.

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Authorities in Yemassee, SC, have warned city residents to “keep doors and windows secured” following the escape of 43 rhesus macaques from a nearby biomedical animal housing facility. (Yemassee Police Department)

Alpha Genesis said traps were being set up in the area and police were using thermal imaging cameras in an attempt to locate the missing monkeys.

“Traps have been set around the area and the Yemassee Police Department is currently on the scene using thermal cameras in an attempt to locate the animals,” the organization said.

Police and Alpha Genesis researchers stressed that local residents should “refrain from approaching” any of the monkeys, and instead immediately contact 911 if spotted. (Alpha Genesis)

In an update at 1 p.m. Thursday, YPD said it had eyes on the primates and was trying to lure them with food.

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The monkeys are said to weigh 6 to 7 pounds, and are described by police as “filthy.”

Rhesus macaques are native to Asia. (Md Rafayat Haque Khan/ Eyepix Group/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

Alpha Genesis is responsible for the maintenance, feeding and veterinary care of monkeys at its primary facility in Yemassee.

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The facility is home to around 6,500 animals.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Yemassee Police Department for comment.

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