43 monkeys escape from a medical laboratory in South Carolina. Police say there is no serious danger

Forty-three monkeys escaped from an area used for medical research in South Carolina, but the nearby police chief said there is “almost no danger” to the public.

“They’re not infected with any disease at all. They’re harmless and a little weird,” Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander said Thursday morning.

The rhesus macaque primers escaped from Alpha Genesis facility Wednesday when a new employee did not close an enclosure completely, Alexander said.

The company usually handles escapes on site, but the monkeys came from outside the area about a mile from downtown Yemassee, Alexander said.

“The handlers know them well and can usually get them back with fruit or a small treat,” Alexander told The Associated Press by phone.

But it takes some more work to gather these refugees. Alpha Genesis is taking the lead, setting up traps and using thermal cameras to recapture the escaped monkeys, the chief said.

“There is almost no danger to the public,” Alexander said.

People living nearby need to close their windows and doors so the monkeys can’t find a place to hide inside, and if they see the primates, call 911 so company officials and the police can catch them.

Alpha Genesis supplies primates for research worldwide at its compound about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Savannah, Georgia, according to its website. The company did not respond to an email asking about Wednesday’s flight.

In 2018, federal officials fined Alpha Genesis $12,600 after dozens of primates escaped, as well as an incident that left a few others without water and other problems with how the monkeys were housed.

Officials said 26 primates escaped from the Yemassee facility in 2104, and another 19 escaped in 2016.