43 monkeys escape from a South Carolina medical lab. Police say there is no serious danger

In this May 13, 2019, photo, River, left, and Timon, both rhesus macaques, sit in an outdoor enclosure at Primates Inc., in Westfield, Wis. (Carrie Antlfinger / AP)

Forty-three monkeys escaped from a compound used for medical research in South Carolina but the nearby police chief said there is "almost no danger" to the public.

"They are not infected with any disease whatsoever. They are harmless and a little skittish," Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander said Thursday morning.

• Download the CTV News App for breaking news alerts and video on all the top stories

The Rhesus macaque primates escaped from the Alpha Genesis facility Wednesday when a new employee didn't fully shut an enclosure, Alexander said.

The monkeys are females weighing about seven pounds (three kilograms) and are so young and small that they haven't been used for testing, police said.

Alpha Genesis employees "currently have eyes on the primates and are working to entice them with food," police said in a statement issued around noon Thursday.

The company usually handles escapes on site, but the monkeys got outside the compound about one mile (1.6 kilometres) from downtown Yemassee, Alexander said.

"The handlers know them well and usually can get them back with fruit or a little treat," Alexander told The Associated Press by phone.

But rounding up these escapees is taking some more work. Alpha Genesis is taking the lead, setting up traps and using thermal imaging cameras to recapture the monkeys on the run, the chief said.

"There is almost no danger to the public," Alexander said.

People living nearby need to shut their windows and doors so the monkeys can't find a place to hide inside and if they see the primates, call 911 so company officials and police can capture them.

Alpha Genesis provides primates for research worldwide at its compound about 50 miles (80 kilometres) northeast of Savannah, Ga., according to its website. The company did not respond to an email asking about Wednesday's escape.

• Follow the CTV News channel on WhatsApp

In 2018, federal officials fined Alpha Genesis US$12,600 after dozens of primates escaped as well as for an incident that left a few others without water and other problems with how the monkeys were housed.

Officials said 26 primates escaped from the Yemassee facility in 2014 and an additional 19 got out in 2016.

The group Stop Animal Exploitation Now sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture asking the agency to immediately send an inspector to the Alpha Genesis facility, conduct a thorough investigation and treat them as a repeated violator. The group was involved in the 2018 fine against the company.

"The clear carelessness which allowed these 40 monkeys to escape endangered not only the safety of the animals, but also put the residents of South Carolina at risk," Michael Budkie, the executive director of the group, wrote in the Thursday morning letter.