Monkeys Escape Cages at Research Center

NEW IBERIA, La. – A group of monkeys escaped from their cages at a New Iberia research center Monday.

Only one of the monkeys escaped the center’s grounds and was recovered at a nearby business and by Monday evening, all of the escaped monkeys had been recaptured and put back in their cages.

The center is a primate facility run by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and breeds non-human primates and provides pre-clinical safety and evaluations of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology products.

The Rhesus monkeys, used for breeding, are small primates and weigh a few pounds. They did not pose a risk to the public, a university spokesman said.

The incident is under investigation. Officials believe the escape was the result of human error.