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6 monkeys are still on the loose from a South Carolina compound after dozens escaped
Updated Nov 18, 2024 10:55 a.m.
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YEMASSEE, S.C. (AP) — Six monkeys were still on the loose early Monday after dozens escaped earlier this month from a South Carolina compound that breeds the primates for medical research, according to authorities.
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Two more Rhesus macaques were trapped Sunday outside the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee, bringing the total of recovered monkeys to 37 of the 43 that escaped, Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said in a statement relayed by Yemassee Police in a social media post.
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Both monkeys recaptured Sunday were examined and were in “excellent condition,” said Westergaard, who was present when they were recovered.
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“I can attest with absolute certainty that their spirits were high and they showed all the outward signs of being happy well-adjusted monkeys,” he said. “We are very pleased that the animals recovered thus far are in such good condition, and that they show no ill effects from their outdoor adventure.”
All the monkeys taken back to the compound have been fed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and monkey biscuits, which are a high protein Purina Monkey Chow that is specially formulated for the rhesus macaques, Westergaard said.
Two other monkeys were spotted near the traps Sunday afternoon and Alpha Genesis planned to begin trapping efforts before dawn Monday and continue through the day.
Forty-three monkeys made a break for it Nov. 6 after an employee at what locals call “the monkey farm” did not fully lock their enclosure, police said.
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There are three gates keeping the monkeys inside their containment area and a worker is supposed to lock and latch one gate before opening another, but all three gates and latches were left unsecure allowing the primates to escape, Westergaard told WCSC-TV last week.
Westergaard said it appears the worker made a mistake and did not intentionally leave the gates where the monkeys could escape.
“My understanding is that immediately after the incident occurred, the employee’s supervisor approached her and stated that she could be terminated if it was determined that there was no structural failure which led to the escape,” Westergaard told the TV station. “I am told at that point the employee walked off the job and has not returned.”
Alpha Genesis has said 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.
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The monkeys are about the size of a cat. They are all females weighing about 7 pounds (3 kilograms).
On Monday, a group called Stop Animal Exploitation Now sent another letter to federal officials asking for fines and further inspection of Alpha Genesis for animal mistreatment.
The letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture said a monkey was found dead with its head stuck in a fence and a second strangled in gauze used to secure water bottles. The letter also details several earlier escapes, including one where a monkey had its arm ripped off and another had its arm broken by a tranquilizer dart.
The incidents involved about 30 monkeys and happened in 2022 or earlier. The letter includes emails and other documents from Alpha Genesis given to the group by someone inside the company, wrote Michael Budkie, the group’s executive director.
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“This is not animal care, this is neglect and abuse. Though these violations may be back a couple of years … there is no reason to assume that such a broad set of violations will be totally remedied,” Budkie wrote.
Alpha Genesis did not return a phone call or email asking about the letter.
The USDA has inspected the compound 10 times since 2020. The facility’s most recent federal inspection in May showed there were about 6,700 primates on site and no issues and veterinarians found minor problems in only one of the facility’s past six inspections.
Humans have been using the monkeys for scientific research since the late 1800s. Scientists believe Rhesus macaques and humans split from a common ancestor about 25 million years ago and share about 93% of the same DNA.
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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.
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by Jackie Kent, KOMO News ReporterTue, November 12th 2024 at 12:47 PM
Updated Wed, November 13th 2024 at 8:44 AM
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Image of a dog that was reportedly beaten inside transitional housing for the homeless in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. (Photo: KOMO News)
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SEATTLE — A man accused of beating a dog inside transitional housing for the homeless is out of jail.
A judge on Monday found probable cause to charge the dog’s owner with animal cruelty before releasing him from jail. The 19-year-old suspect was seen in a now-viral video that led neighbors to rescue the injured pit bull.
KOMO News was at the facility on 10th Avenue East and John Street East when Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth and neighbors rallied together to get the dog to safety after watching the viral video. This effort happened a couple of days after the suspect’s arrest on Saturday from the building operated by the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA).
RELATED | Seattle council member helps rescue dog after alleged abuse in transitional housing
The group of neighbors told KOMO the suspect’s girlfriend surrendered Angel the pit bull without any problems. For many members of the community, it was an emotional moment when they left the building with the injured dog.
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Hollingsworth learned that 1-year-old Angel had scratches and some soreness after taking the dog to a veterinarian.
Prosecutors at the suspect’s first court appearance argued for him to be held behind bars on bail. However, the man was released on personal recognizance and the judge ordered he cannot possess animals. Personal recognizance is an agreement for release without posting bail in exchange for a promise by the defendant to appear in court when a judge requires it.
Prosecutors cannot make a charging decision until police investigators refer the case to their office.
Hollingsworth said she is working with the KCRHA to get a case worker at this facility to better help the people and animals living there.
“[These are] people that have really severe cases that come from encampments that might have mental health issues or other issues. We have to have accountability,” Hollingsworth told KOMO News.
Hollingsworth and neighbors have detailed a variety of problems they allege stem from the transitional housing complex.
“We see them doing drugs all the time in there,” neighbor Rebecca Leslie explained.
Another neighbor, Kylie Rowland, said she’d like to see more security or staff at the complex: “Even if it’s like one security person,” Rowland said. “It would be helpful. I don’t think it would solve everything.”
Since the incident, the KCRHA has been tight-lipped about its staffing, so KOMO asked what are their challenges with getting a case manager at this location, and possibly others?
“We hope residents here who deserve to be here, they deserve housing, will get the supervision and support staff they need in order to successfully live in the neighborhood,” neighbor Stephen Sinclair added.
Mexican wolf found dead near Flagstaff; $100K reward for info leading to conviction
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Error 912.Federal and state officials are investigating after a rare, federally protected wolf was found dead in northern Arizona earlier this month.
By Ben Bradley
Published: Nov. 15, 2024 at 2:24 PM PST|Updated: Nov. 15, 2024 at 2:32 PM PST
WILLIAMS, AZ (AZFamily) — Federal and state officials, along with conservation groups, are asking for the public’s help after a federally protected Mexican wolf was found dead near Flagstaff earlier this month.
A female Mexican wolf, known as Hope and tagged as “F2979,” was found dead on Nov. 7 near Forest Service Road 2058 and East Spring Valley Road, about six miles northeast of state Route 64 and Spring Valley Road in Williams.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is not disclosing how she died but says “the mortality was not related to agency management actions.”
Officials say she was the first to be documented outside the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area (MWEPA), located north of I-40 near Flagstaff, earlier this year. She was captured, equipped with a GPS collar and then released back into the wild in July.
“In every photo we saw of Hope, her collar was plainly visible. If she was shot, the shooter had to know she wasn’t a coyote,” said Cyndi Tuell, Arizona and New Mexico director at Western Watersheds Project. “If someone killed Hope, the full weight of the federal and state law should be brought to bear against the person or persons who took her away from our human community which found inspiration and joy in her existence, and from the non-human community that depends upon top predators to bring balance to the landscape.”
Hope left the MWEPA again and was seen traveling with another Mexican wolf named Mystery. In October, FWS began searching for the pair to bring them back and later found Hope dead. Officials don’t know what happened to the other Mexican wolf.
Hope was at the center of a legal battle last month, as conservation groups pleaded with the state to leave her and Mystery alone, instead of relocating them back to the designated area.
“The wolves themselves are showing us what they need and where they want to be. Why not let them go there,” Greta Anderson, deputy director of the Western Watersheds Project, told Arizona’s Family in October.
FWS says killing a Mexican wolf is a violation of state law and the Federal Endangered Species Act, which can result in up to a year in jail and criminal penalties of up to $50,000.
The agency is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information that leads to a conviction in the case. The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish are also offering rewards of up to $1,000, respectively.
In addition, conservation groups and others have pledged additional funds of up to $51,500 for a combined reward of $103,000.
“Hope embodied the dreams of so many here in Flagstaff, including the school children who named her, that wolves can return and restore natural balance to the Grand Canyon region,” said Taylor McKinnon, Southwest director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Anyone with information about this senseless death should report it so our elk-filled forests can once again thrive with the wolves who belong here.”
Anyone with information is asked to call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Office in Pinetop at (346) 254-0515. Tips can also be provided to the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Operation Game Thief at (800) 352-0700.
FWS says Mexican wolves were common in the Southwest until they were nearly eliminated from the wild in the 1970s “due to conflicts with livestock.”
After they were listed as endangered in 1976, a federal program was introduced to save them from extinction and in 1999, FWS released the first captive Mexican wolves into the MWEPA in Arizona and New Mexico.
According to Arizona Game and Fish, the state agency has been actively involved in reintroducing Mexican wolves to portions of their historical range for decades. Learn more about the program on the state’s website..
Exposing the Big Game 
