Wild video captured monkeys after escaping from South Carolina lab, prompting local lockdown

This is the moment monkeys were filmed roaming through the woods in a small South Carolina town after escaping from a nearby research lab.

Police also released images from their infrared cameras scanning the forest as they search for and attempt to recapture the 43 primates that broke free on Wednesday.

The escape has sparked a major search operation with officers laying baited traps to lure the animals and locals being urged to lock their doors and windows.

The rhesus monkeys escaped from the Alpha Genesis laboratory known to locals as the “monkey farm,” where animal testing is done for vaccines and treatments for human diseases.

Officers say the primates pose “no threat” to the people of Yemassee, a town of 1,000 about 50 miles west of Charleston, but a local business owner told DailyMail.com about their terrifying encounter with one of the animals after a separate incident .

According to an update at 5.50pm yesterday, none of the primates had been apprehended and DailyMail.com contacted local officials this morning for more details.

The CEO of Alpha Genesis told this website that the escape occurred after a caretaker failed to properly lock one of the outdoor monkey enclosures.

But the lab has been plagued by accidental releases for years – there were six in 2022 alone.

The images above show one of the escaped monkeys in forests near the laboratory

Dr. Greg Westergaard, CEO of Alpha Genesis, said the current troop of escaped monkeys did not pose a threat to infect humans because they had not yet been used in experiments.

The escaped monkeys are usually small females weighing 6 to 7 pounds, Dr. Westergaard said, who are “skittish” and sensitive to loud noises and sudden movements.

Local business owner Charlotte Murray said she is aware of residents who claim to have witnessed the primates in their yards.

Ms Murray, who has lived in the area for decades, told DailyMail.com: ‘The center normally does a great job during escapes but this is the first time I remember them asking people to lock doors and windows keep. That’s a shift.

‘I have seen escaped monkeys near the provincial government campus before, but it has been a while since this happened.

‘Generally speaking, we are not very scared here. They are beautiful animals, and I understand that this one [latest escapees] are very small, so I’m not afraid.’

Despite police advice to lock down homes, DailyMail.com spoke to several other residents who seemed equally unconcerned.

One joked that they were planning to put out bananas as a treat for the animals.

Above you see infrared images. Police use infrared cameras to scan the surrounding forest for monkeys

A 2022 report from the USDA found that there were six recorded escapes between January and August of that year.

In one case, a troop of ten monkeys escaped through a weak chain link in their fencing, while in three other incidents monkeys managed to remove wooden panels separating their cages.

There was also an incident where one monkey escaped and left medical aid behind

Alpha Genesis was fined $12,000 in June 2018 due to four previous escapes and other problems with its enclosures.