Research monkeys still having a ball days after busting out of lab, police say

If you need any inspiration for cutting loose and relaxing this weekend, look no further than a free-wheeling troop of monkeys that broke out of their South Carolina research facility Wednesday and, as of noon Friday, were still “playfully exploring” with their newfound freedom.

In an update Friday, the police department of Yemassee, SC said that the 43 young, female rhesus macaque monkeys are still staying around the perimeter of the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Facility. “The primates are exhibiting calm and playful behavior, which is a positive indication,” the department noted.

The fun-loving furballs got free after a caretaker “failed to secure doors” at the facility.

Alpha Genesis staff have been keeping an eye on the escapees, trying to entice them back in with food. But, instead of taking the bait, the primates have been playing on the perimeter fence while still keeping in touch with the monkeys inside by cooing to them.

“They’re just being goofy monkeys jumping back and forth playing with each other,” Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard told CBS News Thursday. “It’s kind of like a playground situation here.”

Yemassee police note that the monkeys are very young and small—only about 6 or 7 pounds each. They have not been used for any testing yet, don’t carry any disease, and pose no health risk to the public. Still, area residents have been advised to keep their doors and windows locked in case the wee primates try to pay a visit.

This isn’t the first time—or even the second time—Alpha Genesis has had trouble keeping its monkeys under control. In 2018, the US Department of Agriculture fined the company $12,600 for violations between 2014 and 2016 that included four monkey breakouts. In those incidents, a total of 30 monkeys escaped. One was never found.