Animal welfare group files federal complaint against facility that lost 43 monkeys in SC

On November 8, 2024By Pranco

YEMASSEE, SC (FOX Carolina) – An animal welfare group filed a federal complaint Wednesday after nearly four dozen primates escaped from a South Carolina research facility and have yet to be captured.

Police received a report around 1 p.m. Wednesday that a group of rhesus monkeys had escaped from their enclosures at the Alpha Genesis Research Center. The facility is located in the small town of Yemassee in the Lowcountry.

Now the group Stop Animal Exploitation Now claims it will file a federal complaint accusing the research center of negligence.

The group also said this is not the first time this has happened.

Stop Animal Exploitation Now released the following statement:

“The apparent carelessness that allowed these forty monkeys to escape not only jeopardized the safety of the animals, but also endangered the residents of South Carolina.

It is important to note that Alpha Genesis was not cited for primate escapes until 2022 (see Sec. 3.75 Housing Facilities, General Violation in the attached inspection report). Therefore, any violations against Alpha Genesis for this monkey escape should be considered repeat violations.

Alpha Genesis must be fully investigated and prosecuted. Their transgressions must be punished. A case should be opened with the USDA’s Investigative and Enforcement Services Division.

At the end of this investigation, the maximum penalty must be imposed on Alpha Genesis: $12,722 per violation, per animal. As you know, since forty monkeys have escaped, even a significantly reduced sentence could reach six figures.”

Records show that monkeys previously escaped from the facility in 2022 and also in 2016.

Stay tuned as we work to keep you informed as the search for the monkeys unfolds.

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