CNN
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The YMC Police Department announced Friday that the final possession of a group of monkeys that escaped from a research facility in South Carolina two months ago has been safely recaptured.
43 rhesus macaque primates escaped after a keeper failed to secure the gates. All are back at the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center at YMC. The acquisition this week, “appears to be in good health,” said Greg Westergaard, CEO of Alpha Genesis. The police.
The Alpha Genesis Test Facility specializes in nonhuman primate research for biomedical research. According to its website, it is one of the largest primate facilities in the country designed specifically for monkeys, with more than 100 acres of land for research and breeding.
In November, the police department said it believed the rest of the group likely lived nearby. The recapture came after the animals were hit by a rare winter storm that brought snow. CNN has reached out to Alpha Genesis for comment.
In a statement to police, Westergaard thanked the YMC community for its support, saying “this was a real team and community effort.” Police advised anyone who encounters the missing monkeys to stop interacting with them and call 911 immediately.
The young primates — all females between 6 and 7 pounds — have never been used for testing and are too young to carry the disease, police said.
