Sounding more like a sci-fi thriller than a real-life warning, folks living in the small town of Yemassee, South Carolina were told to shut their windows and doors after 43 monkeys escaped a local research lab.
"Residents are strongly advised to keep doors and windows secured to prevent these animals from entering homes," said the Yemassee Sheriff's Department in a statement, via NBC News.
The escapees — all "very young females" that haven't yet been test subjects — broke out of a company called Alpha Genesis, which keeps 6,000 monkeys on hand to provide "the highest quality nonhuman primate products and bio-research services," according to its website. Yuck, I'd be running too if I were them.
From NBC News:
An Alpha Genesis spokesperson confirmed to police that the animals "are too young to carry disease," according to police statement. …
Traps have also been set up and officers are using thermal imaging cameras in an attempt to recapture the animals, police said.
The company works with monkeys to carry out clinical trials, including on brain disease disorder treatments…
The police are trying to lure the monkeys — rhesus macaque primates who weigh 6-7 pounds — back to the facility with food. Meanwhile, the CDC says "the risk to the public is low as long as people do not approach or come in contact" with them.
One sleuth, Daniel Vance, caught some footage of the fugitives from afar, in a part of the town's forested area. See video below, posted by CBS News.
Previously: Live crabs escape on NYC subway, chaos ensues
