Media Coverage About SAEN Stop Animal Exploitation Now

Beaufort Co. research center ‘has eyes on’ 43 missing monkeys, officials say

Action Alert Contact:

Sarah J. Helming, Deputy Administrator
email: [email protected]

Deputy Administrator Helming,

You must prosecute the Alpha Genesis Corporation for the negligence which allowed over forty monkeys to escape, endangering both the monkeys themselves and local residents. This facility must be fully penalized -- a fine of $12,722 per infraction/per animal.

 

Beaufort Co. research center ‘has eyes on’ 43 missing monkeys, officials say

From Caitlin Ashbaugh and Marissa Thompson, WBTV.com, November 7, 2024

Yemassee Police have confirmed nearly four dozen primates that escaped from a Beaufort County research center have been located but not yet recaptured.

Police received a report at around 1 p.m. Wednesday that a group of Rhesus Macaque monkeys escaped from their enclosures at the Alpha Genesis Research Center. The facility, located off Castle Hall Road, is within minutes of the small town of Yemassee.

Police say crews from Alpha Genesis are working to trap them with food.

“It really is just waiting and it’s frustrating because we would like to have them back sooner or later. You can’t chase them because they scatter. In this form, they should stay in the same area and we should see some come on back,” Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard says.

The herd consists completely of young females weighing around 6 or 7 pounds each. Alpha Genesis reports none of these animals have been used in testing and are “too young” to carry disease.

“It came down 100% to human error. The caretaker who normally takes care of these monkeys went into the enclosure and failed to secure two doors behind her,” Westergaard says.

Longtime business owners and neighbors in Yemassee say an escaped monkey is not a shocker and many are used to the facility being nearby.

“That was the surprise, the number. We’ve seen one or two even beside the road before but we’ve never heard of this many getting loose,” Lowcountry Living Room Owner Charlotte Murray says.

“Insane, somebody must’ve left the door open or something, I don’t know. Everyone in Yemassee has pretty much been talking about it all day today,” Jerry’s Tow and Garage Owner Jay Cook says. “We know that road as Monkey Farm Road.”

The Alpha Genesis website claims their research uses “specific pathogen free” primate models.

The facility faced violations from the United States Department of Agriculture, including a warning filed in 2022 and a fine in 2017. The 2022 notice claims the center violated guidelines for primate housing, handling and veterinary care.

The 2017 report comes from a document released by the animal rights group Stop Animal Exploitation Now, which reported a $12,600 fine for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Two of those violations included failure to secure primates.

Previously, we reported that Alpha Genesis had not seen a critical violation of note. However, after further review, the center did receive a note from the USDA in 2023. was related. The violation was related to improper care of enclosures, which could produce negative health impacts on primates.

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