By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Forty-three Rhesus macaques, bred for medical research, escaped from the Alpha Genesis facility in South Carolina after a caretaker left a door unsecured. Despite efforts to recapture the monkeys, many remain at large, exploring the facility’s perimeter and interacting with those still inside. While authorities assure the public that the monkeys pose no health risk, the facility, along with federal health officials and police, are actively working to safely recover the escaped primates. The monkeys, all females weighing about seven pounds, are being encouraged to return voluntarily to avoid scaring them and making them run further.
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One monkey, out of 43 that escaped from a South Carolina lab, has been safely recovered. The rest, however, are still on the loose, causing quite a stir and sparking a wave of online commentary. The escape happened when an employee at the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee failed to properly lock a door while feeding and checking on the Rhesus macaques. These monkeys, bred for medical research, took their chance at freedom, jumping over the facility’s fence and disappearing into the surrounding area.
The recovered monkey is likely not celebrating its return to captivity. After experiencing a taste of freedom, being confined again must feel like a cruel twist of fate. Especially considering the monkeys were being used for research into the propagation of Mpox, the current state of affairs is bound to raise questions about the ethical treatment of these primates.
People online are rooting for the escaped monkeys, hoping they establish a feral colony and thrive in their newfound freedom. The internet, it seems, has a soft spot for these mischievous escape artists, even if they were being used for medical research. Some commenters express concerns about the potential spread of infectious diseases, especially since the monkeys were being studied in relation to Mpox. This adds an element of urgency and fear to the situation.
There’s a sense of amusement mixed with worry in the online chatter. The image of 42 rogue monkeys roaming the South Carolina countryside evokes comparisons to the movie “Planet of the Apes,” fueling speculation about a potential rise in primate dominance. The thought of the monkeys establishing a colony and potentially challenging human control is both unsettling and intriguing.
The capture of one monkey has sparked a debate about the ethics of animal research and the potential consequences of releasing these intelligent primates into the wild. Some express sympathy for the monkeys’ plight, while others worry about the potential impact of a large group of feral primates on the environment and human safety. The story of the escaped monkeys has become a captivating online narrative, a testament to the inherent desire for freedom and the complex relationship between humans and animals.