Most Wanted: Forty-Three Monkeys on the Loose in South Carolina

Everyone in Yemassee, South Carolina, is on high alert. Forty-three tiny monkeys have escaped from a research facility—and they're still hiding in the woods. The company responsible, Alpha Genesis, admitted it was a human blunder that led to the escape. A caretaker forgot to secure two doors, and that's all it took for the young monkeys (each weighing only 6 to 7 pounds) to make a run for it. The police are warning locals to stay indoors and report any sightings immediately. They've set up traps loaded with apples to lure the critters back. This isn't the first time monkeys have breakout from this facility. There was another incident back in 2022 when eleven monkeys managed to find a gap in the fencing. Monkeys aren't the only ones worried. Animal rights groups are urging a rethink of using primates for medical research. Kathleen Conlee from the Humane Society of the United States says, "These are intelligent, social creatures. Rather than exploit them, Congress should invest in ethical, non-animal alternatives. " Meanwhile, Alpha Genesis is trying to figure out how to cash in on federal contracts like the one they have to maintain a colony of 3, 500 monkeys on Morgan Island, also known as Monkey Island. It's a balancing act for sure: keeping the monkeys safe and finding a better way to handle animal research.