6 monkeys are still on the loose from a South Carolina compound after dozens escaped

YEMASSEE, S.C. — Six monkeys were still on the loose early Monday after dozens escaped earlier this month from a South Carolina compound that breeds the primates for medical research, according to authorities. Two more Rhesus macaques were trapped Sunday outside the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee, bringing the total of recovered monkeys to 37 of the 43 that escaped, Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said in a statement relayed by Yemassee Police in a social media post. “We are very pleased that the animals recovered thus far are in such good condition, and that they show no ill effects from their outdoor adventure.” All the monkeys taken back to the compound have been fed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and monkey biscuits, which are a high protein Purina Monkey Chow that is specially formulated for the rhesus macaques, Westergaard said. “I am told at that point the employee walked off the job and has not returned.” Alpha Genesis has said efforts to recover all the monkeys will continue for as long as it takes at its compound about a mile from downtown Yemassee and about 50 miles northeast of Savannah, Georgia.