YEMASSEE, S.C. (AP) — Two more monkeys have been returned to the South Carolina compound that breeds the primates for medical research, authorities said Tuesday.
Only 11 of the 43 Rhesus macaques that escaped last week now remain outside the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee, police said in a statement.
Alpha Genesis officials told police that the two monkeys captured Tuesday were eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and appeared to be in good health.
A group of monkeys remains outside the fence close to traps set up by the company in the woods around the compound. They can be heard cooing by the Alpha Genesis employees monitoring them, police said.
In all, 32 monkeys have been returned to the compound since their escape on Nov. 6 after an employee didn’t fully lock an enclosure.
Alpha Genesis has said that efforts to recover all the monkeys will continue for as long as it takes at its compound about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from downtown Yemassee and about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Savannah, Georgia.
The monkeys are about the size of a cat. They are all females weighing about 7 pounds (3 kilograms).
Humans have been using the monkeys for scientific research since the late 1800s. Scientists believe that Rhesus macaques and humans split from a common ancestor about 25 million years ago and share about 93% of the same DNA.
The monkeys pose no risk to public health, Alpha Genesis, federal health officials and police have all said. The facility breeds the monkeys to sell to medical facilities and other researchers.
If people encounter the monkeys, they are advised to stay away from them — and to not fly drones in the area. The company said they are skittish and might run away from where they are gathered.