There was animal mayhem in South Carolina as two emus went on the loose – while eight escaped monkeys were already at large.
Reports of two large emus running riot in the city of Loris, in Horry County, SC, followed an incident last week when 43 monkeys escaped an Alpha Genesis facility in Beaufort County, SC, the Yemassee Police Department said.
The birds’ owner, Sam Morace, took to social media to plead with locals for their patience, saying: “For everyone that keeps seeing an emu, yes it is mine. There are 2 of them out.”
Morace said his two flightless birds broke loose three months ago and local law enforcement officials were reportedly trying to tranquilize them in order to return them home.
“They are feral and not trained like the ones we have at the house. Thank you for all the concerns and questions. But if the emus were that easy to catch they would be home already”, he shared on Facebook.
However, 200 miles away in Yemassee, authorities are still trying to recover eight remaining escapee primates, the Yemassee Police Department said on Thursday.
A total of 43 Rhesus Macaque monkey lab primates ran loose from the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Facility at around 1pm on November 6. Most are now thought to have been recaptured.
As of November 14, police said persistent rain had hindered the search progress and all the animals recovered to date were reported to be in “good health”.
Authorities described the mammals as “very young females weighing approximately 6-7lbs”.
The monkey group had not yet undergone any testing due to their age and size the release added.
A spokesperson from the facility also confirmed that the animals were too young to be disease carriers.
Locals were advised to keep their doors and windows locked and to report any sightings to police and not to approach them under any circumstances.
The Independent contacted the Horry County Animal Control and the Yemassee Police Department for comment.
