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Behind the Alpha Genesis monkey “great escape” & recaptures
November 12, 2024 By Merritt Clifton 5 Comments
Forty-three rhesus macaques made a jailbreak, but then didn’t know where to go, or how
YEMASSEE, North Carolina–– Eighteen of forty-three young female rhesus macaques who escaped on November 6, 2024 from an Alpha Genesis research colony in Yemassee, South Carolina remained at large through the Veterans Day weekend, but 25 had been recaptured.
Animal rights lawyers Angela Fernandez and Justin Marceau argued in a November 11, 2024 guest column for Vox that the macaques “have a legal claim to freedom,” based on U.S. and Canadian case law governing wildlife who escape from private possession.
Fernandez and Marceau overlooked, however, that their cited precedents pertain to native North American wildlife, fully capable of surviving in the wild habitat to which they escaped, and that the Alpha Genesis macaques have arguably not even left Alpha Genesis property, depending on the width of the buffer zone between the monkey facilities and neighboring property.
“Hanging out in the trees”
“Most of the monkeys are hanging out in the trees in the forest just beyond the facility’s fence line,” Island Packet reporters Chloe Appleby and Karl Puckett recounted, going into the weekend.
The escaped monkeys “continued to communicate” with seven others who did not join the escape after a worker left two doors unlocked while she was cleaning and feeding the colony, Alpha Genesis chief executive Greg Westergaard told Appleby and Puckett.
“I can hear them at night. They make this little cooing sound. I can hear their little conversations going back and forth,” Westergaard said.
Fruit-baited traps
Westergaard hoped to recapture the 43 rhesus macaques with fruit-baited traps, a technique that so far seems to be working. The young macaques had no previous experience with living outdoors, or finding their own food, and the area is not rich in wild food sources at this time of year.
The Yemassee area does support a healthy raccoon population. Rhesus macaques and raccoons share omnivorous food habits, but the local raccoons, already knowing the local food sources, have a considerable foraging advantage over the macaques.
“The idea is you wait for them to miss their buddies and the treats and they will wander back,” Westergaard said, but added that the macaques would be shot with tranquilizer darts if they elude the traps and do not return voluntarily.
So far, tranquilizer darting has not been needed.
“Monkey Island”
Alpha Genesis originated as a Labs of Virginia facility on Morgan Island, South Carolina, in the St Helena Sound near Beaufort, known locally as “Monkey Island,” occupied by feral macaques brought from Puerto Rico in 1979-1980.
The state of South Carolina bought Morgan Island in 2002.
` Westergaard formed Alpha Genesis and took over the breeding operation, housing 3,500 macaques, in 2003.
Currently, Appleby and Puckett reported, “Alpha Genesis manages three primate facilities in the Lowcountry. There are 4,000 monkeys at the main facility in Yemassee, where the escape occurred. A second facility on 80 acres” houses 3,000.
Alpha Genesis “also manages another 3,000 monkeys for the National Institutes of Health on Morgan Island,” Appleby and Puckett learned.
Previous escapes
CBS News reported that the 43 escaped monkeys were recently transferred from Morgan Island to the mainland Yemassee facility to become acclimated to humans before being sold to laboratories.
Alpha Genesis has had previous mass macaque escapes from the mainland locations. Notably, 26 escaped in 2014, but were recaptured within 48 hours. Another 19 escaped in 2016, but again were recaptured.
Only one macaque is known to have escaped from Morgan’s Island. That macaque was later recaptured on Lady’s Island, about five miles away.
The Labs of Virginia macaque-breeding operation became controversial after a seven-year investigation initiated in 1997 by International Primate Protection League founder Shirley McGreal, of Summerville, South Carolina, after McGreal “received an eyewitness report from a person who had seen dozens of pathetic baby monkeys in crates at O Hare Airport in Chicago,” she told ANIMALS 24-7.
(See International Primate Protection League founder Shirley McGreal, 87)
12-count indictment of former owner
A federal grand jury on April 14, 2002 returned a 12-count indictment for illegally importing wild-caught monkeys against Labs of Virginia, Inc., former Labs president David M. Taub, Labs board chair Charles J. Stern, and Labs board member William Curtis Henley, 43.
Taub and Labs of Virginia were each charged with eight felonies and four misdemeanors.
The federal indictments alleged that between February 20, 1997 and May 30, 1997, Labs of Virginia flew to the U.S. in four groups a breeding colony of 1,312 macaques purchased from Indonesian Aquatics Export CV, called Inquatex.
Fined $500,000
However, the transaction and import documents allegedly misrepresented wild-caught macaques as captive-bred; the wild-caught macaques were not legally exported from Indonesia; and from 17 to 19 macaques were improperly brought to the U.S. while nursing unweaned young.
Taub––who had been mayor of Beaufort, South Carolina, from 1991 to 1999––in December 2004 settled the case by pleading guilty to illegally importing 846 of the monkeys.
Labs of Virginia was also fined $500,000 as part of the plea bargain.
Alpha Genesis, which had acquired the macaque breeding operation in the interim, accepted a two-year probation.
Charles River Laboratories case
The Labs of Virginia case paralleled the current U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service case against Charles River Laboratories and Inotiv (formerly Orient BioResource Center, also involving Worldwide Primates, whose founder, Matthew Block, was convicted of wildlife trafficking in 1992 after another seven-year investigation by Shirley McGreal.
One defendant in the Charles River case, Masphal Kry, 48, deputy minister of the Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, was acquitted after a jury trial on March 25, 2024.
The acquittal was apparently because the case, initiated by the British organization Cruelty Free International, relied heavily on illegally obtained evidence provided by informant Veng Lim Yeung.
Macaques now routed through Quebec
Yeung, a Chinese citizen then employed by the Cambodian monkey breeding company Vanny Bio Research, was paid $224,000 and resettled in the U.S. in exchange for his testimony.
Charles River Laboratories meanwhile rerouted macaque traffic from Cambodia into facilities located in Laval and Sherbrooke, Quebec province, Canada.
Charles River Laboratories imports of macaques into Quebec increased from 1,030 in 2022 to 4,789 in 2023, Montreal Gazette reporter Michelle Lalonde revealed on November 8, 2024.
Greg Westergaard with cane toad. (Facebook photo)
“All those people are long gone”
The 2004 Alpha Genesis plea bargain involved the company as it existed in 1997,” Alpha Genesis president Greg Westergaard told media at the time.
“Rest assured, all those people are long gone,” Westergaard said.
But Alpha Genesis has had another set of recurring issues, repeatedly raised by Stop Animal Exploitation Now [SAEN], of Dayton, Ohio, after reviewing USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service inspection reports.
“In 2008, the USDA cleared the lab of abuse allegations after SAEN cofounder Michael Budkie claimed some of the thousands of animals at the site were missing fingers and toes, saying they found no evidence of mistreatment,” Associated Press reported.
Two female macaques, one with baby, on the lam from Alpha Genesis in Yemassee, South Carolina.
(Yemassee police department photo)
Repeated SAEN complaints
In April 2010 SAEN alleged that, “From November 2008 to March 2009, about a half-dozen primates[at Alpha Genesis] died of hypothermia,” and that “171 primates lost a body part, ranging from fingers to tails and limbs, as a result of trauma,” apparently from fighting.
In November 2015, SAEN said, “Federal reports from August of 2015 reveal two juvenile monkeys were killed after Alpha Genesis staff negligently returned them to incorrect enclosures, causing fatal conflicts.
This came after, “In May 2015, two Alpha Genesis primates escaped, and one was killed during attempts to recapture the animal. Another monkey had a limb fracture as a result of mishandling, and when Alpha Genesis staff failed to come to work, monkeys were denied food and medication.
“In February of 2015 one monkey died of dehydration and five others required treatment when Alpha Genesis negligence left the animals without water for six days.
“Another monkey was reported to have required partial tail amputation in late 2014.
Merritt & Beth Clifton with Henry the rooster.
Eventually Alpha Genesis Inc. was fined $12,600 for those incidents and another reportedly occurring in February 2016.
SAEN in July 2020 further charged that six monkeys in 12 months had died from “crush” injuries and four from sepsis infections of wounds.
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Finding a healthy balance between trappers and dogs
SharePrint https://thewesternnews.com/news/2024/nov/15/finding-a-healthy-balance-between-trappers-and-dogs/
Paul Antczak, left, and Garry Forman use a stuffed animal to illustrate techniques for releasing a dog from a trap at a Montana K9 Safety seminar Oct. 28, 2024, in Libby. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
by SCOTT SHINDLEDECKER
The Western News | November 15, 2024 7:00 AM
The thought of someone’s dog getting caught in a trap set for wild fur bearers is not something many want to consider, but there are ways to minimize the chances.
Data from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks indicate the chances of such an occurrence are fairly rare. The agency published its findings from 2012 to 2017 in a 2018 report that showed an average of about 25 domestic dogs were caught each year.
Montana K9 Safety, based in Bigfork, has partnered with FWP and trappers in an effort to minimize the risk and educate dog owners how they can greatly reduce their risk.
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K9 Safety, co-founded by Garry Forman and Racheal Vargas in 2019, initially began offering basic first aid for domestic canines. In 2023, they partnered with FWP to promote a message to dog owners about safety relating to trapping.
Vargas, who is from Eureka, was a nurse before she embarked on K9 Safety with Forman.
They offer workshops and courses on how to release a dog from a trap or snare, pet first aid and CPR, disaster response, canine wilderness emergency care and pet walking for kids, which includes business basics, safety and first aid and CPR.
A few weeks ago, Montana K9 safety joined with local trapper Paul Antczak to put on a seminar in Libby to educate locals about the issue.
Montana K9 Safety’s Garry Forman spoke about the importance of keeping a dog under control.
“It’s your responsibility to keep your dog under control at all times,” he said. “A dog doesn’t necessarily have to be on a leash, but if that’s how it’s under control, then that’s what it has to be.”
Forman also said Montana has never had a documented case of an under control dog being caught in a trap or snare.
“Situational awareness is important,” Forman said. “Knowing the signs of trapping activity and scanning for them is key. Many animals travel along fence lines and it’s a good place to set a trap.
“One time I took my dogs to a place to hunt birds. There was a beaver hut, I saw an ATV parked and boot tracks neat the water, so I didn’t even chance it. I believed there was a trapper in the area and we left,” Forman said. “Montana is a really big state, there’s plenty of places to go and there’s no need for a confrontation. We need to learn how to share our wild spaces.”
Forman pointed out that trapping occurs in Montana on a year-round basis. While seasons are limited for most trappers, ranchers may employ animal/damage control trappers whenever necessary.
In Montana, Regions 1, 2 and 3, trapping for beaver, otter, muskrat and mink began Nov. 1. The season for bobcat, marten and fisher opens Dec. 1.
The upcoming wolf trapping season will begin Jan. 1 in Regions 1-5.
Antczak, who is one of the stars on the History Channel’s TV show, “Mountain Men,” shared his thoughts and experiences. He’s trapped for more than 40 years in nine different states.
“One of my biggest fears is when someone stops to let their dog out to pee, particularly open ranch land, and the dog gets a whiff of lure or bait being used by a coyote trapper and ends up getting caught,” he explained. “It all goes back to having control of your dog.”
Antczak explained he’s even caught his dog, Timber, three different times. Once was in a set for bobcats and the other two were in coyote sets.
“He once spent a whole night out there after getting caught in a bobcat set, but his injury was minimal,” Antczak said. “I and most trappers use traps with offset jaws. Most also place the swivel for the trap chain in the bottom of the trap and that allows the animal’s foot to move freely without twisting or causing excessive damage. It makes it more humane for an animal that gets caught.”
Antczak became acquainted with Forman when they had booths next to each other at the Montana Sportsmen Expo in Kalispell. They decided to team up to spread the word about canine safety and how trappers and dog lovers can co-exist.
Much of the discussion dealt with ways to handle a trapped dog.
Vargas said when approaching a trapped animal, it’s best to remain calm, even if the dog is struggling.
“Dogs may injure themselves more if they are pulling or yanking,” she said. “Traps are not designed to break bones, so the less reaction you have to the dog, the less reaction they will have.”
Vargas said covering the dog’s head or an improvised muzzle can help calm it before securing the dog to a leash or a slip lead.
Tools carried by some to help release dogs from traps include vice grips, trap setters and sturdy gloves.
Groups and individuals who want to learn more about canine first aid, CPR, emergency trauma care and trap and snare release techniques can sign up for a class with Montana K9 Safety.
Locally, they will be offering a K9 First Aid Workshop with a trap and snare release clinic at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, in Bigfork. The three-hour course will include an instructional book and costs $49.
They will also hold a free trap release workshop on Dec. 11 at FWP Region 1 headquarters in Kalispell.
Their website address is montanak9safety.com. To contact them by email is at info.montanak9safety@gmail.com and the phone number is 406-314-7024.
Bald Eagle nest in Auburn will be destroyed for new subdivision
by: Elizabeth White
Posted: Nov 14, 2024 / 12:45 PM EST
Updated: Nov 15, 2024 / 06:11 PM EST
SHARE https://www.wrbl.com/news/exclusive-bald-eagle-nest-in-auburn-will-be-destroyed-for-new-subdivision/
AUBURN, Ala. (WRBL) – Plans to remove a tree housing a massive nest built by two American Bald Eagles, recently named “Jim and Pam,” have devastated Auburn residents who have observed the pair and their young since 2017 in the area of North College Street near The Auburn University E.W. Shell Fisheries Center.
“We received a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on October 30 to remove the tree and nest,” said Tyler Findley, a representative from Hughston Homes. “We have until the end of November to proceed with minimal disturbance. They’re majestic creatures, and we tried to adjust the site plan, but unfortunately, the nest has to be removed.”
Hughston Homes, the developer, is clearing the land immediately for a 46-home subdivision on the 75-acre site they purchased in March 2024 for $760,000. Findley did not confirm the date the tree and nest will be cut down.
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Jason Haynie, a resident and member of the Tivoli HOA, said the eagles are still living in the nest. He’s heard them chittering and whistling all this week. He shared photographs he’s taken of the pair, becoming emotional at the thought of losing. When WRBL asked Haynie what the eagles should be named, he suggested “Jim and Pam” after The Office.
“They’ve been here since at least 2017 when we moved in. They have a 15-by-15-foot nest that they continue adding to. They fly across North College Street to Auburn University’s fisheries to hunt. They’re smart and beautiful, and they deserve to be protected,” said Haynie.
The Auburn University E.W. Shell Fisheries Center’s mentions the eagles on its official website, “The Center provides a habitat for wildlife, including Bald Eagles, wading birds, reptiles and amphibians.”
Bald eagle pairs, like Auburn’s Jim and Pam, are known for their lifelong bonds and often return to the same nest every season. The nests, which they expand each year, are essential to their survival and are typically built in tall trees near water. A single nest can weigh hundreds of pounds and serve as the family’s territorial anchor.
Haynie says the wetlands are home to not only the eagles and their young but herons and other wildlife.
WRBL was unable to view the nest, you can’t see it from a public road. A representative for Hughston Homes was unable to meet to take us into their property. WRBL is reaching out U.S. Fish and Wildlife on the decision to issue the permit to destroy the nest.
“We don’t want people to be upset—we want to be good neighbors. We care about wildlife and nature. We didn’t know about the nest when we purchased the property, or we wouldn’t have bought the land,” Findley added.
Haynie and other concerned neighbors say they’ll continue sharing the eagles’ story and contacting local, state, and national representatives and organizations in hopes of saving the nest. Residents hope a compromise can allow development while preserving the eagles’ nest and protecting the remaining wetland habitat.
However, they worry it may be too late for Jim and Pam. WRBL will continue to monitor the situation.
Once critically endangered, the bald eagle population declined sharply due to hunting, habitat loss, and pesticides like DDT. Listed as endangered in 1967, bald eagles have since made a comeback due to conservation efforts. Though they were removed from the endangered species list in 2007, they remain federally protected.
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What Might a Second Trump Term Bring for Animals?
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By Paul Shapiro
Donald Trump’s broad electoral triumph will alter the path of history in many ways: immigration rules, trade, foreign policy, fossil fuels, abortion, and more. But one area that’s drawn less attention — though not none — is how might a second Trump term affect the lives of animals.
Animal protection played a nearly non-existent role in the 2024 presidential race. Aside from memorable catch phrases like “childless cat ladies” and “they’re eating the pets,” neither candidate talked much about what policies they’d espouse to address animal protection. (Kristi Noem’s dog shooting and the killing of Pnut the squirrel did admittedly briefly enter the election zeitgeist.)
It’s hard to predict how Trump 47 may differ from Trump 45, but we can look back on the first term to see how animals fared.
Trump 45: The Good
The first Trump administration supported some animal protection measures, including:
- Putting the EPA on a course to move away from animal testing.
- Signing the PACT Act, which made certain kinds of animal cruelty a federal crime and built a national anti-cruelty law for the first time.
- Signing an omnibus bill that contained the Horse Racing Integrity Act.
- Signing a farm bill containing a provision to ban dog and cat meat; the Pets and Women Safety (PAWs) Act to prevent victims of domestic violence from losing their pets to abusers, and the Parity in Animal Cruelty Enforcement (PACE) Act that banned cockfighting in the U.S. Territories, including Puerto Rico and Guam.
Trump 45: The Bad
On the other hand, the first Trump administration, mainly in the form of the political team assembled at the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior, was often hostile to animal welfare. For example, it:
- Withdrew rules protecting horses from soring, a move an appeals court rejected.
- Scuttled a rule strengthening farm animal welfare in the organic program.
- Promulgated a rule allowing pig slaughterhouses to increase line speed, which was later rejected by a court.
- Nixed an order from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to phase out the use of lead ammunition on national wildlife refuges (which is known to poison and kill more than 120 wildlife species, including bald and golden eagles).
- Took offline federal animal abuse violations.
- Pursued a methodical expansion of hunting and fishing on public lands, including wildlife refuges.
- Removed protections for gray wolves.
- Weakened the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
- Lifted a ban on importing elephant “trophies” by American safari hunters.
- Unwound a rule to end inhumane means of killing wolves, grizzly bears, and other predators on 74 million acres of national wildlife refuges in Alaska.
- Threw out rules to protect whales.
- Worked to open Alaska’s wildlife refuge to oil drilling.
- Relaxed rules on logging old growth forests, which a court deemed illegal.
Trump 47: All in the Appointees
Trump has at times personally professed support for animal protection, including calling trophy hunting a “horror show.” In 2021 he spoke at a dog rescue fundraiser. As president, he had a signing ceremony for the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture (PACT) Act. Clearly, many of the above-mentioned setbacks for animal welfare were driven by agency appointees and perhaps never rose to the level of the president’s attention. Since personnel is policy, who Trump appoints in a second cabinet or as an adviser could have far-reaching effects on a variety of key issues affecting animal welfare. For example:
- Vivek Ramaswamy recently tweeted about how animal cruelty is becoming an increasingly important issue for conservatives.
- Lara Trump is passionate about animal welfare.
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has for decades decried the factory farming of animals, including discussing it during his presidential campaign.
- Tulsi Gabbard has been outspoken against factory farming.
Perhaps most pressing is how the incoming administration will address the EATS Act, a bill to nullify critical state animal welfare laws and more. Already many Republican members of Congress have expressed opposition to the bill as a giveway to China and an assault on states’ rights. Will Trump agree with them?
Trump can also take aim at a far-fetched plan to kill 450,000 barred owls in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, reversing a Biden initiative to open 16 National Park Service units to the hunting of range-expanding barred owls native to North America and long protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Making Animals Great Again
Many Republican presidents have taken strides to protect animals. President Grant signed the 28-Hour Law in 1873 to protect farmed animals during transport. President Eisenhower signed the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act into law in 1958, which was expanded twenty years later thanks to Sen. Bob Dole’s advocacy. President Nixon created the EPA in 1970 and signed into law landmark animal protection statutes including the Airborne Hunting Act of 1971, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. George W. Bush signed into law a wide range of national animal welfare policies, including making animal fighting a federal felony in 2007.
It’s not so clear where Trump himself stands on many of the key issues facing animals at the federal level today. It would be surprising for him not to support the FIGHT Act to crack down further on animal fighting and not to advocate for an end to live exports of horses for slaughter. An FDA under his control may be more likely to be more robust in implementing the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 and to drive forward the transition away from animal testing. As well, Project 2025 includes a plan to repeal crop subsidies (relevant to animal ag), which raises questions about how Trump 47 will address this issue. During his first term, payments to farmers ballooned to historic highs, earning rebuke from the conservative Cato Institute.
How Trump’s appointees will view animal welfare is an open question. Perhaps most pressingly, his appointees at Agriculture and Interior will have in their hands immensely important decisions that will affect the lives of animals.
Exposing the Big Game 
