In the 1995 ’s Jumanji, Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce discover an unusual board game in their new home’s attic. Words appear as they roll the dice: “This will not be an easy mission. “Monkeys slowed the expedition.”
West Virginia’s Yemassee Police Department said on Wednesday afternoon that 43 rhesus macaque monkeys got away from the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center, making that scene come to life.
The monkeys are very young females that weigh “about 6-7 lbs.” The authorities have not tested them yet because of their age and size. A representative from the research center said they do not carry any diseases.
Rhesus macaque monkeys, which are a type of Old World Monkey, are very smart. They usually eat insects, fruits, seeds, herbs, and other bugs, but that does not stop them from going through people’s trash and gardens.
People who live in Beaufort County have been told to lock their doors and windows, and traps and thermal imaging cameras are being used to catch them.
According to the statement, Alpha Genesis is keeping an eye on the primates and is working to get them to come closer by giving them food.
“The public is asked to stay away from the area because these animals are said to be shy, and any extra noise or movement could make it harder to catch them safely.”
Greg Westergaard, CEO of Alpha Genesis, told CBS News that an employee forgot to lock the door to the monkey’s cage.
As Westergaard put it, “it is kind of like follow the leader.” “You see them go, one after the other.” There were fifty of them; seven stayed behind, and 43 ran out the door.
Kathleen Conlee told Rolling Stone that the recent escape “highlights the urgent need to end the use of primates in research.” She used to work at the same Beaufort County facility when it was owned by a different company before Alpha Genesis bought it.
Conlee, who is now the Humane Society’s vice president for animal research issues, said, “These smart, social animals deserve protection, not exploitation.”
He also asked Congress to “reject further investments in primate research infrastructure and instead focus on funding ethical, non-animal alternatives that are more effective, more humane, and cost taxpayers less money.”
Kirsten Peek, who works for the Humane Society, says that Conlee “was deeply disturbed by the practices she saw” at the Beaufort County facility but stayed in her job because she felt she had a “duty to try to protect the animals.”
As Peek put it, Conlee’s “desire to do more” led her to become an advocate.
I could not help but think of that scene from Jumanji when I read about the monkeys getting away. Especially when they destroyed the kitchen and stole David Alan Grier’s police car.
But this could be easier to clean up than the movie because we do not have to worry about dangerous animals like lions, wasps, alligators, and other pests. Instead, our country just re-elected a convicted felon to office.