Ahh! Monkeys on the Loose (and I Ain’t Talking About Congress)

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If you live in the United States, you may see plenty of squirrels, deer, birds, and other wildlife running around outside your home, but monkeys aren’t usually on that list. That is, unless you live in Yemassee, South Carolina. 

Last week, 43 rhesus macaque monkeys escaped from Alpha Genesis, a provider of “nonhuman primate products and bio-research services,” according to their website. Alpha Genesis staff and local police went to work with state wildlife officials immediately to try to capture the monkeys. As of November 14, they’d captured 35 of them. Police warned locals to stay away from the area where the monkeys were located, though they promised the animals were healthy and not a threat to public health. They were reportedly being used for vaccine developments. 

A local South Carolina news station interviewed business owners and residents in the area, and they say they’re used to seeing the occasional monkey along the side of the road, but they don’t think much about it because of the research facility being close by. And they’ve never seen that many monkeys at once. 

As you might imagine, plenty of X users had fun with the story, posting memes and half-hearted conspiracy theories, ranging from “Planet of the Apes” comparisons (because how do monkeys simply “escape” a facility?) to jokes about how Dr. Anthony Fauci must be behind the whole thing (because, well, how do monkeys simply “escape” a facility?). Some even surmised that it was suspicious because it took place on the day after Election Day. 

A few days after the monkeys escaped, a Horry County, South Carolina man took to social media to announce that his father’s emus had also escaped from home, which prompted even more online hilarity. Even Greg Lucas, a spokesperson for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, said in a text message to a local news outlet, “First monkeys and now an emu! SC may be the new Florida!” 

All jokes aside, this isn’t the first time Alpha Genesis has received negative attention. In 2017, the facility had to pay a $12,600 fine for violating the Animal Welfare Act. In 2022, they received a warning from the United States Department of Agriculture for issues involving primate housing, handling and veterinary care.

And now South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace is calling for a federal probe of the facility, which sits inside her district. In a letter sent to the Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Health, Mace said: 

Despite receiving over $110 million in taxpayer funding since 2008 — including $19 million this year alone — Alpha Genesis has a disturbing history of animal welfare violations and public safety risks. Housing over 10,000 primates, including 3,300 on NIH’s controversial Monkey Island, the lab has faced frequent federal citations for unsafe enclosures, poor veterinary care, and preventable animal deaths. Yet oversight remains minimal, with recent inspections confirming multiple violations, including escaped primates and fatal neglect.

So far, it doesn’t sound like either agency has responded.