43 primates are on the loose in the South Carolina city after escaping from a research lab

At least 43 primates were at large Thursday in a South Carolina town where authorities “strongly advised” residents to keep their doors and windows locked after the animals escaped from a research lab.

“No individuals have been accounted for at this time,” Yemassee police said in a statement posted on their Facebook page.

Traps were set up around the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center in Yemassee, where the rhesus macaques escaped their enclosures en masse around 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said.

Yemassee City Manager Matthew Garnes said during a meeting Thursday with city officials that the monkeys escaped when a new employee at the Alpha Genesis Center left the door to their enclosure open.

Mia Mitchell, a Yemassee resident, told ABC News she was driving home Wednesday evening when she saw one of the escaped primates running across a road.

“I thought my eyes were deceiving me and thought, ‘That can’t be a monkey,'” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said she and her daughter immediately stopped and stopped to take a closer look.

“I turned around and parked on the side of the road and he ran across the street toward a house and into a tree,” Mitchell said. “I was standing there and my daughter jokingly said, ‘Here, monkey, monkey!’ And I was like, ‘Girl, don’t call that a monkey.'”

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies used thermal imaging cameras to search for the furry escapees.

According to police, the primates are all very young females, each weighing 6 to 7 pounds.

“Due to their young age and size, the animals were never used for testing,” Yemassee police said in a statement Thursday. “An Alpha Genesis spokesperson can confirm that these animals are too young to transmit disease.”

Police warned residents that the monkeys could behave “scarily” and any additional noise or movement could hinder their safe capture.

“Residents are strongly encouraged to secure doors and windows to prevent these animals from entering their homes,” the sheriff’s office said. “If you spot any of the escaped animals, please call 911 immediately and do not approach them again.”

Police said they were working with staff at the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center to find the escapees.

In his update Thursday, Garnes told city officials that police did not believe the animals had strayed far from the research center, according to ABC affiliate station WCVI in Charleston, South Carolina.

Representatives from the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center could not immediately be contacted for comment.

According to its website, Alpha Genesis “offers the highest quality non-human primate products and bioresearch services in the world,” including serum, plasma, whole blood and tissue samples.

Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina said in a social media post Thursday afternoon that she is investigating the escaped monkeys.

“We are diligently gathering all relevant information to keep our constituents informed about the recent escape of primates from Alpha Genesis Inc. in Beaufort County,” Mace said. “Our office has been in direct communication with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and is working closely with their team to monitor and assess the situation.”