# 43 monkeys escape from research facility in South Carolina because, why not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 7, 2024, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869 "2024-11-07T17:08:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/63 "2024-12-27T00:25:21Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > On that note, for monkeys to actually type the complete works of Shakespeare by random chance would take longer than the lifespan of our universe Divided by 43, Mr. Know-it-All. Now it doesn’t seem so unlikely, does it? ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/64 "2024-12-27T13:30:11Z")
It looks as though a couple of the original monkeys are still on the loose. At some point, something will knock them out the trees … and … they’ll be on their knees. At least, so hypothesizes [**Peter Gabriel**](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z9ZHcyCpxM). ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2025, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/65 "2025-01-24T23:55:17Z")
Sad news: > **[Last 4 escaped monkeys are captured in South Carolina after months on the loose](https://apnews.com/article/escaped-monkeys-lab-south-carolina-alpha-genesis-3bb0de5db7ffd31d9f087a46fa8dab2f)** > > Officials say they have recaptured the final four monkeys who escaped two months ago from a South Carolina compound that breeds them for medical research. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2025, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/66 "2025-01-24T23:59:48Z")
I’m suprised that they didn’t freeze to death. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2025, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/67 "2025-01-25T06:34:42Z")
Their natural habitat includes Nepal and northern India, so they must be somewhat cold-tolerant. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2025, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/68 "2025-01-25T07:01:18Z")
“The recaptured monkeys appeared to be in good health, Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said” Well that’s certainly reassuring, so long as we ignore the fact that Greg’s always intended to kill them anyway. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2025, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/69 "2025-01-25T14:19:11Z")
I suppose his real message was > The monkeys were not infected with Ebola or the Andromeda Strain in our labs and did not pass it to local wildlife where it’s now multiplying & mutating out of control. Nosiree, nothing like that happened; nothing. These monkeys are in the very peak of health. Whether to believe him is a different question. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2025, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/70 "2025-03-23T09:15:58Z")
The latest from coastal South Carolina. > **[Horry County cops hop to it: Escaped kangaroo captured and safely returned home](https://wpde.com/news/local/horry-county-cops-hop-to-it-escaped-kangaroo-captured-and-safely-returned-home)** > > Talk about a kangaroo court.The Horry County Police Department’s 4th Precinct Patrol Division had quite the run in on Saturday afternoon.TRENDING:Barndominium ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/71 "2025-05-17T03:17:32Z")
> **[Kangaroo kills man at petting zoo](https://www.newsweek.com/kangaroo-kills-man-petting-south-carolina-zoo-2070667)** > > Eric Slate was found with "multiple blunt injuries" inside the enclosure, Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard told Newsweek. No word on if it is the same kangaroo from the previous story, but I suspect that the number of kangaroos in Horry County, SC isn’t very extensive. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/72 "2025-05-17T13:48:38Z")
Who the Hell puts a kangaroo in a petting zoo, and what did they expect to happen? Kangaroos are not nice. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/73 "2025-05-17T14:11:59Z")
I went to petting zoos with kangaroos in Australia. Lots of kangaroos. They were well fed, and accustomed to people, and very laid back. I also saw wild wallabies, which are much cuter. But they are shy, and i kept my distance. I was warned that wild kangaroos are unpredictable, and can be dangerous. The petting zoo i went to (part of a larger zoo) had tons of people around, including staff. If a kangaroo became aggressive, i suspect they could have separated the parties with no deaths, and no serious injuries. But in fact, most of the kangaroos ignored the humans, and a few came up to eat alfalfa pellets (or whatever food they sold) out of our hands. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/74 "2025-05-17T14:15:15Z")
The petting zoo in Sydney had kangaroos when I was there twenty years ago ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecc23a/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada_Jr)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/75 "2025-05-17T18:03:32Z")
I would have thought the Sydney petting zoo has salt-water crocodiles, funnel web spiders, and Inland Taipans. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/76 "2025-05-17T18:42:51Z")
Do they have drop bears? ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/77 "2025-05-17T21:23:00Z")
Given this quote from the story, I’d say the dead guy FAFO’d. > WBTW reported that another councilmember, Mark Causey, said Slate would go into the enclosure and play rough with the kangaroo. He added that the animal has not been euthanized and is usually not aggressive. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/78 "2025-05-17T21:24:42Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada\_Jr](#): > > I would have thought the Sydney petting zoo has salt-water crocodiles, funnel web spiders, and Inland Taipans. The zoo i went to had crocodiles, but oddly, they weren’t in the petting zoo part. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/79 "2025-07-19T03:55:02Z")
Update: This same facility is getting investigated, again, after 22 monkeys were found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning. > **[USDA issues highest warning to South Carolina monkey research facility](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V-F12Kc100%2F)** > > The USDA just issued its \*highest warning to "alpha genesis" -- accusing the facility of failing to maintain safe living conditions. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/80 "2025-07-29T17:01:52Z")
South Carolina continues to have animal issues. > **[Radioactive wasps found at S.C. nuclear site](https://www.wsbtv.com/news/georgia/radioactive-wasps-found-sc-nuclear-site/TDDU5W5RDNAJXNP5YPYZCF5FBU/)** > > It's considered "legacy radioactive contamination." ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/81 "2025-07-29T17:24:56Z")
Cazadores. I hate cazadores. Probably more deaths to them than to deathclaws. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2025, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869/82 "2025-07-29T20:41:37Z")
I don’t know; they’re not bad, filled with pepperoni and a nice, melty cheese, with marinara dipping sauce. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/43-monkeys-escape-from-research-facility-in-south-carolina-because-why-not/1009869.md?page=5)