Your Voice Your Vote 2024

Live results
Updated: Nov. 12, 4:05 PM ET

National Election Results: presidential

republicans icon Projection: Trump is President-elect
226
312
226
312
Harris
71,828,757
270 to win
Trump
75,024,848
Expected vote reporting: 95%

30 escaped monkeys captured in South Carolina, 13 remain on the loose

All the recovered primates are in good health, police said.

November 11, 2024, 5:55 PM

More than half of the rhesus macaque monkeys that escaped from a South Carolina lab have been recovered.

As of Monday evening, 30 of the 43 furry runaways, that broke loose Wednesday from the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center in Yemasee, have now successfully been captured.

"Efforts to safely capture the remaining primates will continue throughout the evening and as long as necessary, " a spokesperson for the Yemassee Police Department said.

A team of veterinarians, which have been brought in to conduct wellness exams, said all the recovered primates are in good health.

"As the monkeys are recaptured, they are given snacks. A favorite is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches," police said.

PHOTO: In this Sept. 20, 2024, file photo, an infant rhesus macaque is held by an adult on Morgan Island, in Beaufort County, South Carolina, just north of St. Helena Island.
In this Sept. 20, 2024, file photo, an infant rhesus macaque is held by an adult on Morgan Island, in Beaufort County, South Carolina, just north of St. Helena Island. The island and its 3,000 monkeys are managed by Yemassee's Alpha Genesis for the National Institutes of Health.
Drew Martin/The State via TNS via Getty Images

Yemasee officials said that "a significant number" of the escaped primates were located in a facility near where the rescued animal was found and were "jumping back and forth over the facility's fence."

"Alpha Genesis management and staff are on-site, actively feeding and monitoring the animals, and they will continue these efforts throughout the weekend," the town's officials said in a statement.

"The primates continue to interact with their companions inside the facility, which is a positive sign," they added.

A view of the cages in the research facility where forty-three rhesus macaque monkeys escaped from in Yemassee, South Carolina, on Nov. 8, 2024.
Anadolu via Getty Images

Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said the monkeys were having a nap Saturday afternoon.

"They are coming down to the ground a bit more now. It is a slow process," he said.

The creatures escaped when a new employee at the Alpha Genesis center left the door to their enclosure open, Yemassee Town Administrator Matthew Garnes said during a briefing Thursday with town officials.

A view from outside of the research facility where forty-three rhesus macaque monkeys escaped from in Yemassee, South Carolina, on Nov. 8, 2024.
Anadolu via Getty Images

The primates are all very young females weighing 6 to 7 pounds each who have never been tested, according to police. There is no public health threat, police said.

Recovery efforts will continue until all the monkeys are recovered, police said, and requested the public call 911 if they spot any of the remaining animals.

"We thank the public for their cooperation in avoiding the area and kindly ask that drones not be used in the vicinity," police said.

ABC News' Bill Hutchinson contributed to this report.

Related Topics