The lookout for a research monkey missing in Gwinnett County continued Friday, with more than two dozen calls coming in, and concern about its ability to fend for itself.
Spokeswoman Lisa Newbern said the Emory University's Yerkes National Primate Research Center Field Station in Lawrenceville was responding to the calls with the help of Gwinnett County Animal Control. The main focus of the search, however, continued to be Yerkes’ 117 acres of land in the area.
Newbern could not say how long the 2-year-old, 5-pound female rhesus monkey might make it on its own. She said it’s a research animal that has been fed a regular diet of fresh fruits and vegetables and has not had to forage for itself.
“Though we want people to consider this as a wild animal, I don’t know that it would know how to forage for itself it were out in the wild. It’s just used to the food being right there.” Newbern said.
“One of our vets said that if the animal has gone into the [nearby] woods, there would be seeds and other items she would eat,” Newbern said. "We are still focused on that the animal is still on our property.”
The spokeswoman also did not want to speculate on any possible predators the monkey might face.
She said most of the calls coming in have claimed to have seen the monkey, including several from counties other than Gwinnett.
“We continue searching our property and following up on leads members of the community provide,” Newbern said.
The spokeswoman also reiterated that the monkey was not part of any research in which it was infected with any disease.
Yerkes said the animal is one of many specially bred rhesus macaques that do not have the herpes B virus, which is a disease common to the species. The missing monkey was in the process of being assigned to a behavioral-research study and not part of a scientific study in which it would have been infected with any disease.
Yerkes said the macaque is the most common monkey used in biomedical research because of its ability to adapt to almost any environment. In the wild, mainly in Asia, macaques are found in a wide variety of climates and geographical areas -- from temperate to tropical forests, at sea level and in mountains.
They exist in temperatures as high as 118 degrees, and would be used to the heat wave hitting metro Atlanta.
Their diet includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, small insects, bird eggs, shellfish and fish. Newbern, however, said the monkey should not be fed or approached if sighted.
“It is definitely a wild animal. It is not a pet,” she said. "People should not approach it.”
The Gwinnett County communities surrounding the research center, including the Westchester Commons, Edgewater and Richland neighborhoods, have been notified.
The missing monkey quickly attracted the attention of animal rights advocates and Twitter followers.
The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a complaint against Yerkes with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, claiming the Emory center has violated the federal Animal Welfare Act by improperly caring for its primates.
"These intelligent, sensitive animals don't deserve the loneliness and trauma of life in a laboratory," PETA Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Kathy Guillermo said.
On Twitter, some followers were spreading the word at @EmoryMacaqueEsc.
Newbern said this is the first time anyone at the center can remember a primate being missing from the facility.
The field station is part of Emory’s Yerkes research center, one of eight national primate research centers funded by the National Institutes of Health.
If sighted, individuals should call the field station at 404-727-7732 or Gwinnett Animal Control at 770-339-3200.
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