YEMASSEE, S.C. (WSAV) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is reportedly investigating 18 primate deaths at the Alpha Genesis Primate Research Center. According to the Hampton County Guardian/USA Today Network, a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) representative contacted the paper with a statement from PETA primate scientist Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel which detailed what they described as "credible whistleblower reports" that between 18 and 20 endangered long-tailed macaques died after a diesel heater malfunctioned at one of Alpha Genesis’ Yemassee primate centers on the night of Friday, Nov. 22. The news comes exactly 20 days after a report that 43 rhesus macaque primates escaped from a Yemassee center. To date, four are still on the loose. Alpha Genesis has been under scrutiny before this event. Rep. Nancy Mace (SC-01), whose district covers the Yemassee center, launched an inquiry into USDA oversight after the escape. “For years, Alpha Genesis has racked up federal contracts and taxpayer dollars while consistently violating animal welfare laws and exposing the public to dangerous escapes,” said Mace. “NIH and USDA need to step up and ensure South Carolinians don’t bear the risk of this lab’s negligence.” PETA, in a statement released on Monday, implored the USDA to cut funding from Alpha Genesis. Read PETA's full statement below: "Alpha Genesis has blood on its hands again. The notorious monkey dealer, already reeling from the November 7 escape of 43 rhesus macaques, now faces another grim scandal—this time, the horrific deaths of 18 endangered, long-tailed macaques due to sheer negligence. According to multiple whistleblower reports, a diesel heater may have malfunctioned at the facility late Friday night. There were no alarms, no alerts, as 18 long-tailed macaques likely endured agonizing deaths—either slowly roasted alive or suffocated by deadly carbon dioxide fumes. The images this conjures are beyond disturbing: sentient creatures, confined and helpless, betrayed by a system that prioritizes profit over basic decency or scientific competency. This is no accident—it’s a deadly pattern, bankrolled by $19 million in National Institutes of Health contracts. Alpha Genesis has repeatedly failed to meet even the bare minimum standards for animal welfare. It’s time to cut the funding and end this cruelty."