Dozens of monkeys escape from South Carolina research facility

Dozens of monkeys have escaped from a research facility in Yemassee, S.C., prompting police to urge residents to lock their doors and windows until the primates have been captured.

The Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center is home to the 43 escaped female rhesus macaque primates, which police describe as very young and weighing between 6 and 7 pounds.

“The Yemassee Police Department, in collaboration with Alpha Genesis, have initiated search teams to help locate the escaped primates. Alpha Genesis currently have eyes on the primates and are working to entice them with food,” police said in a statement.

“The public is advised to avoid the area as these animals are described as skittish and any additional noise or movement could hinder their safe capture.”

The monkeys had never been used for testing due to their young age, and they're too young to carry diseases, the statement said.

Attempts to reach Alpha Genesis for comment went unanswered.

Speaking to CBS News, Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said that a caretaker accidentally left a door to the enclosure unsecured. The ensuing escape, he said, was like an all-too-literal version of monkey see, monkey do.

"It's really like follow-the-leader. You see one go and the others go," Westergaard said. "It was a group of 50 and seven stayed behind and 43 bolted out the door."

Even though he called the escape “frustrating,” Westergaard said he hoped the monkeys would ultimately return home of their own free will.