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Monkey Escapes From S.C. Island Laboratory

BEAUFORT, S.C. - An escapee from Morgan Island has been captured in a tree in the backyard of a home on Lady's Island — about 7 miles away from where he was supposed to be.

The 10-year-old, 20-pound male rhesus monkey was first noticed as missing from the island April 30, the same time residents of Coosaw and Lady's islands reported seeing him. Some residents were concerned the animal might carry an infectious disease because Morgan Island houses primates used in government research.

Alpha Genesis officials said they can't explain how the monkey managed to leave the island laboratory and make its way across Parrot Creek.

"I have been here eight years and this is the first (escape) I can remember in the area," said Greg Westergaard, president and chief executive officer of Alpha Genesis. "I'm at a loss at how it got over there. They probably can swim a little bit, but it really is a long way over there."

The monkeys have been on the island since 1979 and are the property of the
Food and Drug Administration. They are used in defense and vaccine development studies.

The escaped monkey was caught Tuesday, Westergaard said. "I'm sure he wanted to get back but couldn't figure out how," he said.

But the escapee won't be going back to the 400-acres colony on Morgan Island. Instead, he'll probably be taken to one of two breeding facilities in Yemassee or Early Branch, Westergaard said.

Westergaard said it was unlikely the monkey would have a disease because the research performed on the animals isn't done at the island. The monkeys also go through physical examinations four times a year to make sure they are healthy and carry no diseases, he said.

"This monkey's in great shape," he said.

He said there are no artificial barriers keeping the monkeys on the island other than the water surrounding it, as they tend to be social creatures and stay with other monkeys.

"I don't know what happened to this guy," Westergaard said.

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