Wild video captures monkeys after escaping South Carolina lab - sparking local lockdown

This is the moment monkeys were filmed scurrying around the woods in a small South Carolina town after escaping from a nearby research laboratory.

Police have also released footage of their infrared cameras scanning the woodland as they search and try to recapture the 43 primates which broke free Wednesday.

The escape has sparked a major search operation with officers laying traps with bait to try lure the animals and locals being urged to lock their doors and windows.

The rhesus macaques escaped from the Alpha Genesis lab known to locals as the 'monkey farm', which does animal testing for vaccines and treatments for human diseases.

Officers say the primates pose 'no threat' to the people of Yemassee, a town of 1,000 about 50 miles west of Charleston, but one local business owner told DailyMail.com of their terrifying encounter with one of the animals after a separate incident.

As of an update at 5.50pm yesterday, none of the primates had been apprehended and DailyMail.com has contacted local officials for more details this morning.

Alpha Genesis's CEO told this website the escape happened after a caretaker failed to lock one of the outdoor monkey enclosures properly.

But the lab has been plagued with accidental releases for years — there were six in 2022 alone.

Dr Greg Westergaard, Alpha Genesis CEO, said the current troop of escaped monkeys posed no threat of infecting people because they had not yet been used in experiments.

The escaped monkeys are mostly small females weighing 6 to 7lbs, Dr Westergaard said, that are 'skittish' and sensitive to loud noises and sudden movements.

Local business owner Charlotte Murray said she's aware of residents who claim to have witnessed the primates in their yards.

Ms Murray, who has lived in the area for decades, told DailyMail.com: 'The center normally does a great job during escapes, but this is the first time that I remember that they have asked people to keep doors and windows locked. That is a shift.

'I have seen escaped monkeys near the county hall campus before, but it has been quite a while since this happened.

'Overall, we are not very afraid here. They are lovely animals, and I understand that these [latest escapees] are very small, so I'm not afraid.'

Despite the police advice to lock down homes, DailyMail.com spoke to several other residents who seemed equally unconcerned.

One joked that they planned to put out bananas as a treat for the animals.

A 2022 report from the USDA found that between January and August that year there were six recorded escapes.

In one case, a troop of 10 monkeys escaped through a weak chain link in their fence, while in three other incidents monkeys managed to remove wooden panels separating their cages.

There was also an incident where one monkey escaped and leaving medical attention after

Alpha Genesis was fined $12,000 in June 2018 over four previous escapes as well as other issues with its enclosures.