According to a report on the CBS website on November 10, forty-three female rhesus macaques escaped from Alpha Genesis, a research facility in South Carolina. As of 11 local time, 25 escaped rhesus monkeys have been“Captured”, but the remaining 18 are still“At large”.
It is not uncommon for laboratory animals to escape in the United States. Although Alpha Genesis and local police said the escaped rhesus monkeys are not a threat to the public. But some scientists have warned that rhesus monkeys may be carrying a virus that could be fatal to humans, following a case in the United States in which an experimental monkey escaped and was suspected of infecting humans with the virus.
Pose a double risk to animals and residents
According to the Alpha Genesis website, the agency offers“Nonhuman primate products and biological research services” worldwide, and clinical trials include research into progressive brain disease. The company also provides a number of“Non-human biologicals”, including serum, plasma, whole blood, peripheral blood monocytes and tissue samples.
A new employee of Alpha Genesis failed to close the pen after feeding the rhesus macaque Monday, causing 43 of 50 rhesus monkeys to flee.
Police said the monkeys were still young and had not yet been used in laboratory tests, so it was theoretically impossible to carry the pathogen. Lab staff are now setting traps to try to recapture the escaped monkeys using thermal imaging cameras. Police also“Strongly advise residents to keep their doors and windows safe to prevent these animals from entering their homes”.
Edvard Grieg Westergaard, chief executive of Alpha Genesis, said 25 monkeys had been found as of Sunday night local time, “Safe and sound.”.
Still, rhesus monkeys are aggressive, says Eva Cupar, a University of Colorado Boulder researcher at the University of Colorado, Boulder, some rhesus monkeys may carry the Herpes B virus, which is fatal to humans. In her own words, she kept the animal at arm’s length.
Mikell Buky, executive director of stop animal exploitation now, told CBS that the 43 monkeys’ apparent negligence not only endangered the animals’ safety, but also put people in the area at risk.
This is not the first time an experimental animal has escaped
Rhesus monkeys play an important role in scientific research. Rhesus macaques are among the most studied animals, after mice, according to Dariaux Maestripieri, a behavioral scientist at the University of Chicago.
The Washington Post and the Messenger reported last year that Alpha Genesis was responsible for monitoring 3,500 rhesus monkeys on Morgan Island, South Carolina. CBS reports that there are at least 6,701 rhesus monkeys in Alpha Genesis.
Alpha Genesis is not the first time an animal has escaped from a prison.
In 2018, the United States Department of Agriculture fined the agency $12,600, in part because 26 primates escaped from its plant in 2014 and 19 more in 2016, but was captured about six hours later.
In the wake of the 43-rhesus macaque escape, stop exploiting animals immediately sent a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture asking the Department of Agriculture to send an inspector to the Alpha Genesis factory immediately, conduct a thorough investigation.
More worrisome is that the United States had a number of laboratory monkey escape incidents, and caused a real virus infection.
The Independent reported on its website on January 26,2022 that on January 21,2022, four monkeys escaped after a truck carrying 100 monkeys to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC-RRB- laboratory crashedPennsylvaniaania. Although the next day, the police announced that the escaped monkey had been found. Unfortunately, a woman named Michelle Falun started to develop red eyes, runny nose and cough the day after she was exposed to the escaped monkeys. She was injected with Rabies vaccine and given antiviral drug. The CDC later said the escaped monkey had been euthanized, but gave no details.
After the incident, residents of the area were told to be safe, saying “Monkeys in American laboratories have been found to have tuberculosis, Chagas disease, cholera and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus”.
There are other safety issues in the lab
In addition to the rhesus macaque escapes, there are other problems with Alpha Genesis lab security.
In 2022, the United States Department of Agriculture found eight violations, including violations of housing facilities and veterinary regulations. Federal veterinarians reported that two animals died from bad weather after their fingers got stuck in a building. Inspectors also found the cage unsafe. They said the company could face criminal charges, civil penalties or other sanctions if the issue is not resolved.
In addition, in January, the 2023 United States Department of Agriculture said temperatures in some of the agency’s monkey cages exceeded the required range of 7.2 â ° C to 29.5 â ° C. There was moldy food in a box with a sharp edge on the door. In addition, the monkey pen accumulated a large amount of food waste, used medical supplies and so on.