Officials in Yemassee, South Carolina, Warned about 1,100 residents “Keeping doors and windows safe” after 43 people escape rhesus macaque monkeys from a nearby biomedical animal housing facility. The town’s police department on November 6 published the first statement It was announced on social media that the monkeys belonged to Alpha Genesis, one of the world’s largest providers of “non-human primate products and services”.

“Traps have been set around the area and the Yemassee Police Department is currently using thermal imaging cameras in an attempt to locate the animals,” YPD officials said in a statement Wednesday evening.

Police and Alpha Genesis researchers stressed that locals should “avoid approaching” any of the monkeys and should instead call 911 immediately if they are spotted. YPD also confirmed in a separate update They reported “there is no health risk associated with these animals” on Thursday morning, but have yet to recapture any of them. Rhesus monkeys typically stand 19-21 inches tall, weigh approximately 12-17 lbs, and can be aggressive if provoked.

(Relating to: These monkeys have giant noses for exactly the reason you think.)

Alpha Genesis is responsible for the care, nutrition and veterinary care of the monkeys at its main facility in Yemassee. Known as the “Monkey Farm” by locals, this place is home to approximately 6,500 animals; That’s nearly six times the town’s population. The company also manages a colony of about 3,500 rhesus monkeys on nearby Morgan Island, at the mouth of the Combahee River, accessible only by boat. Local newspaper, Postal and Courierreported last year that Alpha Genesis had received a federal contract to establish another colony on 400 acres, also called “Monkey Island.” No research has been done on the island itself, but Postal and Courier He explained that between 600 and 700 monkeys are removed and transplanted each year for use in various research capacities, such as biomedical and vaccine research.

This isn’t the first time the apes have escaped from Alpha Genesis. Like CBS News It explains that in 2016, 19 animals were released from the Yemassee facility for about six hours before authorities found them safely and took them back.