A search team has recovered 25 monkeys unharmed after more than 40 of the animals escaped from a research facility in South Carolina, police said.
Thermal imaging cameras and traps have been deployed to recapture the 43 rhesus macaques after they broke free from the Alpha Genesis site in the town of Yemassee last Wednesday.
The Yemassee Police Department “strongly advised” people who live in the area to keep windows and doors secured to “prevent these animals from entering homes”.
All of the monkeys that escaped are female and weigh about 3kg, police said.
The force said on Sunday that a team from the Alpha Genesis facility had recovered 24 of the animals.
It came a day after a single escaped monkey was recovered.
Police said on Sunday: “The Alpha Genesis team is continuing its efforts and will continue until all animals are safely recovered.”
The force added that a “sizeable” group of monkeys remained active along the compound’s fence line and had “bedded down in the trees for the night”.
Alpha Genesis has said the animals are too young to carry disease and pose no risk to public health.
Meanwhile, vets carried out “thorough wellness exams” on the captured monkeys and initial reports indicated they were in “good health”, police said.
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How did they escape?
The rhesus macaques made a break for it Wednesday evening last week after an employee at the facility didn’t fully lock a door as she fed and checked on them, officials said.
Since their escape, the primates have been seen exploring the outer fence of the Alpha Genesis compound, cooing at the monkeys inside.
Police said the continued interactions between the escaped monkeys and those inside the facility was a positive sign.
The force has asked the public to stay away from the area and to avoid using drones there. Anyone who spots an escaped monkey should call 911, the force added.
Alpha Genesis says it provides “nonhuman primate products and bio-research services” with “more than 100 acres of quarantine, breeding, holding and research space”.
