43 monkeys escape from a research facility, putting a US town on notice.

Photo Credit ( Greety image )

Authorities in a tiny US town warned residents to keep their windows and doors locked Thursday after more than 40 monkeys escaped from a research facility and went on the loose.

At a facility owned by Alpha Genesis, a company that specializes in primate-based scientific research, the rhesus macaques, who were deemed “skittish” by authorities in Yemassee, South Carolina, were said to have escaped their cages the day before.

The local police department posted on social media that search teams had been sent in to help find the monkeys and were “working to entice them with food.”

“Residents are asked to keep their windows and doors shut and to call 911 right away if they see anything. Under no circumstances should you try to approach these creatures,” it stated.

The 43 primates were all young females weighing up to seven pounds (three kilograms), the police department claimed, and none of them had been utilized for testing.

“A spokesman from Alpha Genesis can confirm that these animals are too young to carry disease,” added the statement.

According to Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard, the escape was “frustrating,” and he told CBS News that he is “hoping for a happy ending” in which the primates return on their own initiative.

He claimed that because a custodian had neglected to lock a door at an enclosure, the primates were free to roam.

It is similar to following the leader. Westergaard remarked, “You see one go and the others go.”