1 week Ago By USA TODAY
A South Carolina congresswoman has called for a "full investigation" into the after a little over a week ago. The escape, which occurred on Wednesday, Nov. 6, is the "latest in a long list of violations from this USDA and NIH-funded laboratory," said Nancy Mace, U.
S. Rep. for South Carolina's 1st District, in a Tuesday statement.
Officials were able to recover 32 of the 43 escaped monkeys as of Tuesday evening, leaving 11 at large in Yemassee, a small town about 60 miles west of Charleston, according to by Bluffton Today, part of the USA TODAY Network. The primates, all , made a mad dash after a caretaker at the research facility failed to lock the doors after a feeding. The escaped monkey saga has garnered international media attention, been the focus of , sparked outrage from animal rights organizations in addition to Mace's call for action in recent weeks.
Mace has contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) demanding an inquiry and briefing about the escape.
“For years, Alpha Genesis has racked up federal contracts and taxpayer dollars while consistently violating animal welfare laws and exposing the public to dangerous escapes,” Mace said in a letter. “NIH and USDA need to step up and ensure South Carolinians don’t bear the risk of this lab's negligence.” Yemassee police did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for additional information on Thursday evening.
According to a Yemassee Police Facebook , which quoted Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard, the recovery process "will continue until all animals are safely recovered." The monkeys have been in trees and in the woods neighboring the 100-acre Alpha Genesis facility since their escape. Company employees and local police officers have been baiting the primates with food in an effort to lure them back to the facility.
They can be heard cooing back and forth to each other. Approximately 5,000 monkeys bred for biomedical and scientific research are housed at two sites across the state. The escaped monkeys weigh no more than 7 pounds, and according to Alpha Genesis, none of the escaped monkeys pose a risk to the public since they are "too young" to carry disease and have not been used for testing due to their size, age.
Community members have been advised to keep door and windows closed, anyway. Officials have also encouraged residents to contact 911 if they spot any of the remaining monkeys. Most, if not all, of the monkeys that were recaptured in the last few days were in "good health," according to police.
This isn't the first time Alpha Gensis primates have escaped the research facility. There have been at least two other instances, one in 2016 and another in December 2014. They were eventually recovered both times, USA TODAY reported.
, according to Mace, has a "disturbing history of animal welfare violations" and "public safety risks" despite receiving over $110 million in taxpayer funds since 2008, including $19 million in 2024 alone, to run operations. "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," Mace wrote. "Yet oversight remains minimal, with recent inspections confirming multiple violations, including escaped primates and fatal neglect.
" In her letter, Mace references at least a dozen specific instances of violations she says, especially after the recent escape, both the animals and her constituents at risk. The list outlines various violations that date back to 2014, pointing to gaps in quality of care. Alpha Genesis primates, Mace alleges are "subjected to painful and deadly experiments involving dangerous pathogens and invasive procedures.
" Mace has requested the NIH and USDA provide a complete breakdown of active contracts and inspections, documentation of communication regarding the recent monkey escape and immediate corrective actions to enhance oversight and safety. A number of animal advocacy groups, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the White Coat Waste Project and Born Free USA have issued statements following Mace's call for a probe into . ,.
