River (left) and Timon, both rhesus monkeys previously used in medical research, sit in an outdoor enclosure at Primates Inc. in Westfield, Wisconsin, May 13, 2019. The sanctuary is a 17-hectare rural site where research animals can live out their remaining years once their studies are complete. A report released Thursday, May 4, 2023, said a shortage of monkeys available for medical research is undermining the U.S.’s preparedness to respond to public health emergencies.

Carrie Antlfinger/AP

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Carrie Antlfinger/AP

Dozens of monkeys have escaped from a research facility in Yemassee. SC, prompting police to ask residents to lock their doors and windows until the primates were caught.

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.

“Yemassee Police, in collaboration with Alpha Genesis, deployed search teams to help locate the escaped primates. “Alpha Genesis is currently keeping an eye on the primates and is working to attract them with food,” a police statement said.

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

The monkeys have never been used for testing because of their young age and are too young to transmit disease, the statement said.

Attempts to reach Alpha Genesis for comment went unanswered.

In conversation with CBS NewsAlpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said a caretaker accidentally left a door to the enclosure unsecured. The ensuing escape, he said, was like an all-too-literal version of Monkeys See, Monkeys Do.

“It’s really like following the leader. You see one go and the others go,” Westergaard said. “There was a group of 50 people, seven stayed behind and 43 ran out the door.”

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