43 Monkeys on the Loose After Escaping From South Carolina Research Facility

Police are searching for a total of 43 monkeys that escaped from a research facility in South Carolina on Wednesday night.
Police said traps have been set up around the area.
In an update later that evening, Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said the Yemassee Police Department was assisting with the search. Officers equipped with thermal imaging cameras are helping locate the animals.
Law enforcement said multiple officers are on the case, collaborating with Alpha Genesis personnel to resolve this situation.
It remains currently unclear how the monkeys were able to break loose. Alpha Genesis did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NTD, a sister outlet of The Epoch Times.
Police said the escaped monkeys are from the rhesus macaque breed. Alpha Genesis’s website says it works with macaque and capuchin monkeys.
Back in 2016, the company saw a similar incident when 19 primates escaped but were recaptured a few hours later.
Animal testing is often a critical step in the process of adopting life-saving medicine, but it remains a contentious issue because of animal cruelty concerns.
“Monkeys and apes are often the last and most critical link between basic research and human clinical application,” Alpha Genesis said on its website.
“The similarity of nonhuman primates to humans in genetic makeup, behavior and organ system function provides medical researchers an unparalleled opportunity to understand, treat and prevent human disease.”