USDA cites Yemassee facility for 22 monkey deaths. Here’s why CEO asked FBI to investigate
The USDA has cited a Yemassee research and breeding facility for violating an animal welfare law after 22 monkeys died in its care in November, likely from carbon monoxide exposure from a heating unit. The CEO of the facility says he’s contacted the FBI because he’s suspicious possible tampering may have caused the problems with the heater.
The circumstances of the deaths of the monkeys is the latest intrigue involving the Alpha Genesis Inc. primate facility, which received weeks of widespread attention after Nov. 6 when 43 monkeys escaped from its facility and lived free in the wild for few months before, one by one, they eventually were captured. The last remaining monkeys were apprehended in January.
At the time, the facility said a worker inadvertently left a gated door open and the 43 primates escaped.
Details on the recent complaint
On Nov. 22, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), a frequent critic of the conditions at Alpha Genesis Inc.’s facilities, announced it had filed a complaint with The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) after being notified by a whistle blower that 22 monkeys had died from either being “roasted alive” or suffocating from deadly carbon dioxide fumes as a result of the malfunctioning heater.
In a report on the incident, the USDA said the monkeys appeared to have died from carbon monoxide exposure. A heating unit had been placed inside of an interior field cage.
At this time, APHIS does not have an open investigation for Alpha Genesis, spokesman R. Andre Bell said.
The report said the facility conducts routine maintenance checks on all heating units prior to their use, with the most recent mechanical check of the unit, completed two months prior, passing safety checkpoints. In addition, the report said, the same heating unit was used the night before without incident.
Greg Westergaard, Alpha Genesis’ CEO, says there was no spike in temperature caused by the heater, and tests later showed it was not malfunctioning.
That makes him suspicious about what caused the increase in carbon monoxide levels.
“So we know it was not a heat related issue,” he said. “We do know the animals died. And they died of something consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning.”
To get right to the point, Westergaard said, there are “things that can be done to a heater.”
The only explanations he can think of to explain the deaths is an act of God or an intentional act such as the exhaust being blocked.
Westergaard contacted the FBI, which came out and took a report. Westergaard doesn’t know if the federal agents will “get much farther than I did.” “There’s no smoking gun if you will,” he said.
PETA voices concerns
PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo said the violation of the Animal Welfare Act, which the USDA deemed “critical” and made public Dec. 12, was a serious infraction “that directly impacts the health, safety, or well-being of animals covered under the law.”
“Despite receiving $19 million in contracts from the National Institutes of Health, Alpha Genesis has repeatedly failed to meet even the most basic animal welfare standards,” Guillermo said. “Federal agencies should be prohibited from throwing taxpayer dollars at a facility with a documented history of negligence, cruelty, and deceit.”
Westergaard called information PETA is putting out about the facility “garbage.” PETA called the deaths of the 22 long-tailed macaques from carbon monoxide poisoning “inexcusable.”
A night husbandry team member conducting routine evening rounds noted animals down in a field cage, according to the USDA report on the incident. The employee immediately contacted additional personnel. Due to the prompt actions of the facility employees, the report says, 32 of the 54 impacted cynomolgus monkeys survived. The USDA said corrective actions were taken by the facility prior to its inspection.
Westergaard noted that the monkeys were fine at 6 p.m. but were down when employees were making there rounds again at 9 p.m. “That’s where it gets very murky,” he said.
Alpha Genesis manages three primate facilities in Lowcountry of South Carolina. There are 4,000 monkeys at its main facility in Yemassee, where the escape occurred. A second facility is located on 80 acres six miles north of Yemassee off Old Salkehatchie Road in Early Branch. There are 3,000 monkeys at that facility. Alpha Genesis also manages free-ranging monkeys for the National Institutes of Health on Morgan Island, which is located in Beaufort County off the coast 36 miles southeast of Yemassee and just north of St. Helena Island.
This story was originally published February 4, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
