YEMASSEE, S.C. — UPDATE AS OF NOV. 12, 2024: 30 of the monkeys have been recaptured
More than 40 monkeys remain on the loose in South Carolina after escaping a medical research lab in the Low Country, officials said.
On Saturday, the Yemassee Police Department announced one of the escaped lab monkeys has been successfully recovered unharmed.
"A significant number of the remaining primates are still located just a few yards from the property, jumping back and forth over the facility's fence," the department said.
The bizarre news made headlines across the country as the search for the primates continued into Saturday. Law enforcement agencies in the Yemassee area have teamed up with Alpha Genesis to locate the monkeys. At one point, the lab said it had eyes on the monkeys and was trying to lure them back with food.
They've also set up traps and are using thermal imaging cameras. The big message from the police was simple: If you see a monkey, don't approach it. Residents were encouraged to lock their doors and windows and make sure all pets are indoors to avoid any possible interaction with the primates. Yemassee is about 200 miles south of Charlotte, just east of Interstate 95.
"Efforts to attract the primates with food have resulted in several of them returning to the property, although they have jumped back to the outside fence this is still a very positive development," Yemassee police said in a Friday night update.
The monkeys are engaging with their companions inside the fence "while displaying a calm demeanor."
The South Carolina facility is home to Alpha Genesis, a research lab that describes itself as "primate research specialists." Exotic animal expert Debra Kolaya isn't so sure about that.
"You know, if you lose 43 monkeys something's going wrong," Kolaya said.
Kolaya takes in exotic rescues at her home in Concord, North Carolina. When she heard the news, she was worried.
"When a research facility can't keep hold of animals that are potentially dangerous, that's a problem," she said.
Officers confirmed a new employee didn't fully close the gate, letting dozens of monkeys get out of the door. Yemassee police issued a statement saying the monkeys that escaped haven't been used for testing, saying they're too young to carry any diseases. But because they're so humanized, Kolaya says people should be even more careful if they see one.
"They know that they get fed by people at certain times of the day," she said. "So they're goin to be more aggressive toward a person."
It's something she experienced firsthand after a primate she rescued attacked her early in her career.
"I humanized him. I let him do what he wanted to and that was my fault," Kolaya admitted.
This isn't the first time primates escaped this South Carolina facility. In 2016, 19 monkeys escaped before returning about six hours later.
Contact Julie Kay at juliekay@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
