4 Monkeys Remain Free Nearly 2 Weeks After Dozens Escaped A South Carolina Compound

Four monkeys remain free nearly two weeks after a group of 43 escaped from a South Carolina compound that breeds them for medical research, authorities said.

Two more rhesus macaques were trapped Monday outside the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee, bringing the total of recovered monkeys to 39, chief executive Greg Westergaard said in a statement relayed by police in a social media post.

The monkeys caught Monday were in good health, and the others continue to thrive, Westergaard said. Efforts to catch the four remaining escaped monkeys were expected to continue Tuesday, he said. Authorities believe they are probably all together in an area next to the company's property or very close by.

Forty-three monkeys made a break for it Nov. 6 after an employee at what locals call "the monkey farm" did not fully lock their enclosure, police said.

There are three gates keeping the monkeys inside their containment area, and a worker is supposed to lock and latch one gate before opening another, but all three gates and latches were left unsecured, allowing the primates to escape, Westergaard told WCSC-TV last week. It appears unintentional, he said.