Police Hunt 40 Monkeys that Escaped from South Carolina Research Facility
November 7th, 2024—
Via: NBC:
A police search is underway after 40 monkeys escaped from a research facility in South Carolina on Wednesday night.
Police in Yemassee, Beaufort County, said the animals escaped from Alpha Genesis, a business that provides “nonhuman primate products and bio-research services,” according to its website.
Traps have been set up and officers are using thermal imaging cameras in an attempt to recapture the animals, police said.
“Residents are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes,” Yemassee Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. Anyone who finds a monkey should not interact with it but instead call 911, it said.
The company works with monkeys to carry out clinical trials, including on brain disease disorder treatments, and says it has “one of the largest and most comprehensive nonhuman primate facilities, designed specifically for monkeys, in the United States.”
The sheriff’s department didn’t specify the breed of the fugitive primates, but the company’s website says it works with macaque and capuchin monkeys.
It is also not known what trials the escaped monkeys were taking part in, nor whether they were exposed to any diseases. Alpha Genesis did not immediately respond to an overnight request for comment from NBC News.
https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus-contracts/vendors/alpha-genesis-inc
Re the above — “PATHOGEN FREE MACAQUE BREEDING COLONIES”.
Let’s hope they were.
And this outfit has had escapes before:
“Alpha Genesis
Reported Sam Ogozalek of the Island Packet on July 19, 2020, “Alpha Genesis Inc., a primate research company in northern Beaufort County,” in South Carolina, “won a $4.6 million contract in June 2020 from the National Institutes of Health for ‘maintenance’ of pathogen-free macaque monkey breeding colonies, according to procurement data released by the federal Pandemic Response Accountability Committee.”
Noted Ogozalek, “Stop Animal Exploitation NOW!, an Ohio-based organization, lodged a seven-page complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture after obtaining incident reports that Alpha Genesis sent to National Institutes of Health following at least 11 monkey deaths in 2019 and 2018.
This was after, Ogozalek continued, “The USDA in 2017 levied a $12,600 fine against Alpha Genesis for [Animal Welfare Act] violations including monkey escapes and an incident where a monkey was attacked and died after being placed in the wrong social group enclosure.”
In further incidents, Ogozalek summarized, “A monkey suffered from asphyxiation on January 15, 2018, after grabbing part of a sunshade outside an enclosure and becoming wrapped in it. It is unclear if the monkey died. Two sunshades were later removed from the property, according to one report.
“On January 26, 2018, a monkey was discovered dead in an outdoor area of an enclosure,” after being left outside, apart from his social group, on a cold night.
“A technician was fired, supervisors were given written warnings, and a site director was suspended for a week, records show,” Ogozalek continued.
But on March 16, 2018, Ogozalek wrote, “two groups of monkeys violently fought after ‘locks and/or bolts’ were not properly secured in an enclosure, according to a report. Seven monkeys died from their injuries. A site director was fired and a supervisor was disciplined in response to the incident, records attached to the complaint show.”
[The article goes on to describe more historical messes of this train-wreck of a company.]
quoted from: https://www.animals24-7.org/2020/09/01/will-monkey-shortage-due-to-covid-19-bring-new-research-methods/
RFKJr’s to do list (abbreviated):
III. Contagion
C. Vectors
3. Lab escapees
d. mammals
vii. monkeys