Dozens of monkeys escape Planet of the Apes-style from South Carolina research facility; police on search hunt

More than 40 monkeys broke loose from a South Carolina research facility this week, leading authorities to sound the alarm of caution on Thursday, November 7.

The Yemassee Police Department confirmed in an updated statement that 43 rhesus macaque primates escaped an Alpha Genesis facility on Castle Hall Road in Beaufort County. As of early Thursday afternoon, none had been captured after a “caretaker failed to secure doors” of their enclosure while cleaning it, Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard told CBS News.

Officials noted the primates that had fled the scene were “very young females weighing approximately 6-7 lbs.” Due to their age, they had never been used for testing. Authorities have since set up traps and are using thermal imaging cameras to locate the fugitive monkeys on the loose.

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Authorities issue statements

Local authorities issued the initial warning in a Facebook post on Wednesday night: “Residents are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes.” They further urged the public to “refrain from approaching” the primates on the run even though purportedly they don’t pose a threat or health risk to people.

Police Chief Gregory Alexander also advised not to “try to take these things home or pet them. We’re getting a lot of that on our social media. (Taking them) is a felony because they don’t belong to you.” The Yemassee PD is working with “state agricultural and wildlife officials to manage this incident effectively and humanely,” per the social media post.

South Carolina Rep Nancy Mace wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “Our office has been in direct communication with the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and is working closely with their team to monitor and assess the situation.”

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More about the South Carolina research facility in question

Local outlet The Post and Courier Beaufort County reported, “Alpha Genesis breeds monkeys to sell for medical testing and research.” Meanwhile, the company website describes it as “one of the largest and most comprehensive nonhuman primate facilities, designed specifically for monkeys, in the United States” which is “dedicated to promoting health and well-being of monkeys and all other living creatures.”

A federal inspection in May reportedly showed that the facility is home to 6,701 primates. The latest great monkey escape mirrors a 2016 incident when 19 primates made off from the site. At the time, they were returned to the facility in six hours.

Planet of the Apes memes explode on social media

The primate mass breakout has since fuelled a meme mania on X, with even the official page of the Apes Movies franchise tweeting a cheeky reply to the news. Numerous other netizens also quipped, “This is literally the plot for Rise of the Planet of the Apes” or “This is how Planet of the Apes started.”

Meanwhile, some wild conspiracists also found a way to link the Planet of the Apes-esque escape to the recent November 5 election outcome. An X user tweeted, “Some crazy scientist: you think now that the election is over things are going to start calming down…. NEVER. Initiate Planet of the Apes.”

Another wrote, “Thank youYemassee SouthCarolina for bringing all kinds of crazy thoughts into people’s minds after an election."

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