A small group of free-ranging rhesus macaques on Morgan Island
AGI operates multiple research and breeding facilities across South Carolina, encompassing large-scale primate enclosures, laboratory spaces, and research buildings. The company's facilities are designed to meet regulatory standards, including those set by the USDA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).[5]
AGI maintains colonies of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis), and other nonhuman primates used in biomedical research. The company says it employs veterinarians, research scientists, and animal care staff to ensure its primate population's well-being and compliance with ethical research guidelines.[6] But according to The New Yorker, AGI, like other animal research facilities, has been repeatedly cited by USDA inspectors for escapes, insufficient food and water, processing injuries, and preventable deaths. To date, AGI has been fined only once: a $12,600 penalty in 2017. (Most accidental deaths in labs do not result in fines.)[7]
Since 2008, AGI has received more than $120 million in government contracts, including $19 million in 2024 from the National Institute of Health.[7]
Research and services
AGI supports biomedical and pharmaceutical research through its services involving nonhuman primates (NHPs), which are used by academic institutions, government agencies, and private-sector clients across various therapeutic areas.[8]
The company conducts pharmacokinetic (PK), toxicology, and safety studies to evaluate new pharmaceutical compounds before they advance to human trials,[8] and provides support for research into cognitive function, affective disorders, and neurological conditions using primate models.[9]
AGI contributes to studies in gene therapy, immune system disorders, and metabolic conditions such as diabetes and obesity.[10] It also maintains breeding colonies of rhesus and cynomolgus macaques that are free from specific pathogens and can be genetically selected to meet research needs.[11]
2024 monkey escape
On November 6, 2024, a caretaker failed to latch the double doors to an enclosure for female rhesus macaques, and 43 monkeys left the enclosure and took up residence in nearby trees. To catch the monkeys, company officials laid out traps with fresh fruit and vegetables[12] and deployed infrared cameras.[2] By January 24, 2025, all 43 monkeys had been recaptured and were reported to be in excellent health.[13]People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) disputed this claim, and in late November 2024 filed complaints with the USDA accusing AGI of previous violations of federal animal cruelty laws.[14][15]
A USDA investigation found that the 2024 escape did not constitute a critical violation, and the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare of the National Institutes of Health closed its investigation in January 2025.[16] In June 2025, AGI provided documentation that it had passed two recent USDA inspections and had no "non-compliant items" identified.[17] But a USDA inspection dated December 9, 2024, listed a critical violation in relation to the deaths of 22 monkeys unrelated to the escape.[18] And in July 2025, the USDA issued an official warning to AGI about the December 2024 deaths.[19]
The November 2024 escape was the largest monkey exodus at AGI but not the first. According to a New Yorker investigation, "at least 67 other monkeys, in eleven separate incidents, have escaped from their cages in the past decade."[7] A South Carolina newspaper reported that the 2024 incident was the third mass escape at the facility in the decade, including groups of 19 monkeys in 2016 and 26 monkeys in 2014.[20]
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