YEMASSEE, S.C. – Only eight monkeys were released from a group that fled a conflict more than a week ago South Carolina compound It breeds primates for medical research, officials said.

Three more Rhesus macaques were captured outside the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee on Wednesday, police said in a statement.

Forty-three monkeys escaped on Nov. 6 after an employee at what locals call the “monkey farm” failed to completely lock the enclosure, police said.

They held back with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and other treats, officials said.

Alpha Genesis employees told authorities that all of the recaptured monkeys had been examined and were in good health.

A group of monkeys stands outside the fence, near traps the company has set in the forest surrounding the facility. Police said Alpha Genesis employees watching them could hear them chirping.

Alpha Genesis said its efforts to save all the monkeys will continue as long as it remains at its campus, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from downtown Yemassee and about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Savannah, Georgia.

Monkeys are about the size of a cat. They are all females weighing about 7 pounds (3 kilograms).

people happened using monkeys for scientific research Since the late 1800s. Scientists believe that Rhesus macaques and humans diverged from a common ancestor about 25 million years ago and share about 93% of the same DNA.

Alpha Genesis, federal health officials and police have said the monkeys pose no risk to public health. The facility raises monkeys to sell to medical facilities and other researchers.

If people encounter monkeys, they are advised to stay away from them and not to fly drones in the area. The company said they are skittish and may run away from where they congregate.