One monkey has safely recovered, 42 remain on the run from a laboratory in South Carolina

Many of the others are still a few meters from the property, jumping back and forth over the property’s fence, police said in a statement.

Rhesus macaques took a break for it on Wednesday after an employee at the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee failed to fully lock the door while feeding and checking on them, officials said.
One of 43 monkeys bred for medical research that escaped from a compound in South Carolina has been found unharmed. (AP)

On Friday, the monkeys explored the outer enclosure of the Alpha Genesis complex and cooed to the monkeys inside.

On Saturday, the primates continued to communicate with their friends inside the facility, which is a positive sign, according to the police statement.

Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said efforts to recover all the animals will continue through the weekend and for as long as necessary, the statement said.

Monkeys are about the size of a cat. All females weigh about 3 kilograms.

Alpha Genesis, federal health officials and police said the monkeys do not pose a public health threat. The facility breeds monkeys for sale to medical and other researchers.

Alpha Genesis provides primates for research around the world at its complex in Yemassee, about 80 kilometers northeast of Savannah, Georgia, according to its website.

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