Forty-three monkeys escaped from a facility used for medical research in South Carolina, but the nearby police chief said there was “virtually no danger” to the public.

“They have not contracted any disease. “They are harmless and a little skittish,” Yemassee Police Chief Gregory Alexander said Thursday morning.

Rhesus macaque primates escaped Alpha Creation Alexander said the incident occurred Wednesday when a new employee at the facility did not completely seal the enclosure.

Alexander said the company usually handles escapes on-site, but the monkeys wandered off the compound about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) from downtown Yemassee.

“The handlers know them well and can usually get them back with fruit or a small treat,” Alexander told The Associated Press by phone.

But catching these fugitives takes a little more work. Alpha Genesis took the lead, setting traps and using thermal imaging cameras to recapture escaped monkeys, the chief said.

“There is virtually no danger to the public,” Alexander said.

People living nearby are required to close their windows and doors to prevent the monkeys from finding a place to hide inside, and if they see the primates, they should call 911 so company officials and police can catch them.

Alpha Genesis provides primates for research around the world from its campus about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Savannah, Georgia, according to its website. The company did not respond to an email about Wednesday’s escape.

In 2018, federal authorities fined Alpha Genesis $12,600 after an incident that resulted in dozens of primates escaping, as well as dehydration for several primates and other problems with how the monkeys were housed.

Officials said that 26 primates escaped from the Yemassee facility in 2104, and 19 more primates escaped in 2016.