South Carolina Monkey Center Is Being Investigated For Animal Welfare Complaint
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was recently called in to investigate a primate research facility in South Carolina according to WCNC Charlotte. This investigation started due to a complaint…
JAKARTA, INDONESIA – JUNE 01: Macaque monkeys who are trained for street performances, known as “topeng monyet”, are chained to a cage in “monkey village”, where the animals are trained to take part in street performances on June 1, 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The street performances usually involve the monkeys wearing masks, such as dolls’ heads or attire to mimic humans, with the monkeys trained to act out human activities such as shopping, riding bicycles or other simulations of human behaviour. Poverty drives the handlers to exploit the monkeys in the hope of earning small change, but the effect and cruelty to the monkeys is a cause that charities such as the Jakarta Animal Aid Network are increasingly taking up. (Photo by Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was recently called in to investigate a primate research facility in South Carolina according to WCNC Charlotte. This investigation started due to a complaint against the facility that had 43 monkeys escape earlier this month.
Alpha Genesis is a primate research center located in Yemassee, South Carolina. According to the USDA, they were accused of violating the Animal Welfare Act. The USDA never specified exactly what the allegations are in their statement. However, a news release from PETA has referenced some of the potential allegations that haven’t been confirmed yet by the USDA.
Lisa Jones-Engel is a primate expert who spoke with WCNC Charlotte about a whistleblower tip that she received. She says that many of the employees inside the facility “are really upset with what they're seeing."
The Alpha Genesis research center first gained a lot of attention on November 7th, 2024, when 43 monkeys escaped. As of November 26th, only 39 of the 43 rhesus macaques monkeys have been found. Jones-Engel says that this facility is well known for these types of problems within the community.
Alpha Genesis has been prone to issues at its facility that have been documented in the past. USDA inspection reports show that the facility has had issues before with animal escapes, injuries, and deaths.
In just 2022 the USDA reported six different incidents of animals escaping from this facility. It is also cited that many of these animals needed medical care after their escape. There have been other documents that show many different animal deaths, not keeping animals at proper temperatures, unclean facilities, and more.
