YEMASSEE, S.C. — On Friday, South Carolina authorities announced that the last four of the 43 escaped monkeys have been caught after two months in the woods. They survived a rare winter and were lured back with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
A group of female rhesus macaque monkeys escaped because an employee at Alpha Genesis, a place breeds them for medical study (often called “the monkey farm” by locals), didn’t lock their enclosure properly, according to the police.
The monkeys that were captured again seem to be healthy, according to Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard, as shared by Yemassee Police on social media. No additional information was given.
While they were escaping, the area experienced its first snowfall in seven years, with up to 3 inches (8 centimeters) of snow.
The rhesus macaques escaped on November 6 and mostly stayed close to the site. They are about the size of a cat and weigh around 7 pounds (3 kilograms).
In November, Westergaard said a worker accidentally left the gates open, which allowed the monkeys to escape. Workers were supposed to lock and latch one gate before opening another, but all three gates and latches were unprotected.
Alpha Genesis, along with government health officials and police, stated that the monkeys did not pose any threat to public health.
Alpha Guard workers watched the monkeys and set up safe nets for the animals. Most of them returned because of food. They were given peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and “monkey biscuits,” which are high-protein snacks made for rhesus macaques.
The facility raises monkeys to sell to hospitals and academics. Since the late 1800s, scientists have been using monkeys for study. Scientists think that rhesus macaques and humans separated from a shared ancestor around 25 million years ago and have about 93% of their DNA in common.
The complex is about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from downtown Yemassee and about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Savannah, Georgia.
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