Monkey See, Monkey Flee: 43 Rhesus Rebels Are on the Loose, Meme Coins Go Bananas

On Wednesday, authorities in Yemassee, South Carolina, issued an alert that more than 40 rhesus macaque Monkeys had bolted from the Alpha Genesis research facility and vanished.

That’s right, a whole crew of disgruntled primates is now on the loose—probably plotting their next move.

News of the monkey horde’s escape sent the price of monkey-themed meme coins surging, including the Solana-based Monkey token, by 49.0% on Thursday.

But what are the monkeys after? Some on X point to a government conspiracy to stop the inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump.

“These are very crafty monkeys,” an X user wrote. “They've been working on the escape plan for four days.”

“Residents are urged to keep their doors and windows securely closed and to report any sightings immediately by dialing 911,” the Yemassee Police Department said on Facebook. “Please do not attempt to approach these animals under any circumstances.”

On Wednesday, November 6, 2024, Yemassee Police received an alert from Alpha Genesis that 43 Rhesus Macaque monkeys had mysteriously busted out of their enclosures at the facility on Castle Hall Rd.

Known for using monkeys in clinical trials for brain disorders, Alpha Genesis now faces a plot twist worthy of the 1995 thriller "Outbreak." Just how the primates staged their great escape is still anyone’s guess—these little escape artists aren’t talking.

While the escape may not be a conspiracy against the future President or the prelude to another global pandemic, the answer could be far worse. The escape could be the beginning of the long-anticipated monkey uprising from the 1968 sci-fi film “Planet of the Apes.”

While visions of humans being enslaved by rebellious monkeys may be enough to make Charlton Heston go ape, the monkeys may have decided to escape in protest of the death of social media darling Peanut the Squirrel, which went viral on social media last week.

Or maybe someone just left the door unlocked.

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair and Josh Quittner