Mace launches inquiry into agencies funding S.C. monkey lab
YEMASSEE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Congresswoman Nancy Mace has launched an inquiry into federal agencies funding the primate research facility that had an incident where dozens of monkeys escaped.
Officials said 43 monkeys were able to get out of Alpha Genesis Research Facility in Beaufort County after caretaker did not secure the doors to the enclosure behind her.
S.C. lab recaptures more escaped monkeys but 11 are still loose
More monkeys have been returned to the South Carolina compound that breeds the primates for medical research, authorities said Tuesday.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service has awarded Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center more than $19 million in 2024 alone, according to federal government spending data. The majority of that funding comes from taxpayer dollars.
The nonprofit, The White Coast Waste Project, said the group’s goal is to get the government out of the animal testing business so tax payer dollars don’t fund these labs. The group has also worked alongside Congresswoman Nancy Mace.
Mace announced an inquiry into the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Agriculture to look into Alpha Genesis and the incident with the monkeys getting out.
“For years, Alpha Genesis has racked in federal contracts and taxpayer dollars while consistently violating animal welfare laws and exposing the public to dangerous escapes,” said Mace. “The National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture need to step up and ensure South Carolinians don’t bear risk of this lab’s negligence.”
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