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[Josh Greenman <joshg1973 AT yahoo.com>]

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Monkey escapes from S.C. island laboratory

Associated Press
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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Posted on Sun, May. 08, 2005