On a quiet Wednesday evening, something wild happened in the small town of Yemassee. Forty-three Rhesus macaque monkeys escaped their enclosure at the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center. The accidental breakout, sparked by a worker’s momentary lapse in protocol, has set this otherwise sleepy town abuzz as neighbors swap stories and jokes and watch their windows in case a monkey swings by.
People here in Yemassee are feeling a mix of things: a bit of fear, a bit of wonder, and quite a lot of amusement. Not every day you have monkeys in the trees by your driveway. This scenario has a cinematic feel for many—like a real-life version of Planet of the Apes. Taking it in stride, some locals have posted playful “monkey traps” online: makeshift setups to ward off any primates from their backyards. But it’s not all fun and games; others worry about the surprise factor of coming across a monkey out hiking or even right at their back door.
“I just want to know if one will show up in my yard,”
laughed Yolanda Johnson, a local resident, who set up a small “booby trap” using fruit near her bird feeder to try her luck.
“Feels like we’re living in a movie here!”
Yet, behind the jokes is a real sense of surprise mixed with curiosity about how long the search might go on and what this means for the town.
Yemassee police, animal control, and trained wranglers are on the case, scouring the woods and rural areas around the facility. They’ve been working round the clock to catch the escaped primates, facing an unexpected challenge: not only are these monkeys quick, but the dense forest, with its tangled vegetation and scattered tree cover, makes it tough to track them down.
“The terrain, the number of places they could be hiding – those are the things that make it a little tricky,”
said Police Chief Harold Grayson.
“But we’re doing everything possible to round them up and bring them back safely.”
Police have issued a safety advisory for locals, urging everyone to keep doors and windows closed in case any monkeys get adventurous. They’re asking residents to avoid approaching any monkeys they might see and to quickly call 911 instead.
“They’re friendly enough, but we’d rather people leave the capturing to us,”
Grayson added with a small chuckle, suggesting that some have considered playing monkey-catcher.
Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard reassured everyone that they’re fully dedicated to safely bringing the monkeys back.
“We’re working closely with local authorities, and we’re taking every measure to ensure the safety of the community and the animals,”
Westergaard said. He added that the facility will examine its protocols to prevent this from happening again.
Currently, 25 of the 43 monkeys have been safely recovered, with veterinarians confirming they’re in good health. But 18 monkeys are still on the loose, keeping the search teams on their toes. Officials are using everything they can to locate them, from baited traps to thermal imaging cameras to scan the area. The police have even asked residents to hold off on using drones, which might accidentally interfere with the official search.
In the coming days, Yemassee will keep watching, waiting, and wondering what tomorrow might bring in this unusual local saga. For now, though, residents have banded together with a mix of humor and caution, a small town doing its best to handle an unexpected visit from some of nature’s cleverest guests.
