BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investigating a complaint against the primate research facility from which 43 monkeys escaped earlier this month.
The USDA states that Alpha Genesis, a primate research center in Yemassee, S.C., was accused of violating the Animal Welfare Act.
"We recently received a complaint with some detailed allegations and we are reviewing them to determine whether there are Animal Welfare Act (AWA) noncompliances we need to follow up on,” USDA said in a statement.
The USDA did not specifically state what the allegations are. A news release from PETA on Monday referenced some allegations that have not been confirmed by investigating agencies.
WCNC Charlotte spoke with the PETA primate specialist who received the initial whistleblower tip.
"This escalates things," primate expert Lisa Jones-Engel said. "I think it's very safe to say that there are a lot of people inside that facility who are really upset with what they're seeing."
Alpha Genesis gained national attention on Nov. 7, 2024, when 43 monkeys escaped from the research center. As of Tuesday, 39 of the 43 monkeys had been recovered. These escaped primates were rhesus macaques.
Jones-Engel says that Alpha Genesis is notorious for these issues within the community.
"This whole era of relying upon the monkey model has got to come to an end," she said. "Alpha Genesis needs to be the first facility to fall."
Documents show that Alpha Genesis has dealt with issues at its facility before. USDA inspection reports detail the facility's past issues, including animal escapes, injuries, and deaths.
In 2022, the USDA cited six separate incidents of animals escaping their enclosures in just that year. The documentation says multiple animals required medical care as a result of their escape.
Citations going back to 2014 show multiple animal deaths. Other incidents accuse the facility of not keeping animals at the proper temperature.
An inspection from just last year cites unclean facilities, saying: "An accumulation of brown debris covered the entire length of the perches and/or enrichment items in six enclosures. A lack of proper cleaning and sanitization can lead to harboring of disease-causing organisms that can produce negative health impacts on the primates."
This is despite the facility's initial statement claiming escaped primates are "too young to carry diseases." The facility stated earlier this month that there is no public health concern posed from the monkey escape. Police in the area urged residents to stay away from any monkeys and call authorities if they see one.
Contact Julie Kay at juliekay@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.
