Monkeys escape Yemassee research facility

Nineteen monkeys escaped from the Alpha Genesis research facility in Yemassee on Sunday before being lured back that evening.

Though the monkeys broke out of a cage around 1:30 p.m., all had been captured or returned to the facility grounds and were accounted for by 7:30 p.m., said Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander, who helped patrol and search for the primates while they were on the loose. While not all of the monkeys were caged Sunday evening — some were spotted in trees — he said they would not be able to escape the facility’s property again.

None of the monkeys was injured, Alexander said.

The breakout was the result of a broken or loose cage, he said. Six of the monkeys had been captured Sunday evening, according to the Yemassee Police Department.

“It’s not the first time it’s happened,” Alexander said. “They come back because they knew where the food’s at.”

The facility in rural Yemassee and a sister compound nearby are home to roughly 5,000 monkeys. Many are bred and sold to various USDA-licensed research facilities.

USDA inspections noted an incident in 2014 in which 26 monkeys escaped onto the Alpha Genesis compound. The animals were recaptured within two days, and two employees were fired. About the same time, a monkey being transferred for treatment escaped at the company’s Early Branch facility and was never found.

Reports of dead, injured monkeys raise concerns about, investigation into Yemassee facility

Dec. 31, 2015 While Yemassee locals haven't heard of any problems at the "monkey farm" -- as they call Alpha Genesis -- the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has been investigating the monkey breeding facility and research lab since May . | READ

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This story was originally published May 1, 2016 at 7:22 PM with the headline "Monkeys escape Yemassee research facility."