Only one of 43 monkeys bred for medical research that escaped from a South Carolina property was captured and unharmed, officials said.

Many of the remaining fugitives are still nearby, just meters from the property, jumping back and forth over the building's fence, police said in a statement.

A large group of macaque monkeys escaped Wednesday after an employee at the Alpha Genesis facility in Jemasi failed to properly lock the door while feeding and checking on them, officials said. The monkeys are about the size of a cat and all weigh about 3 kilograms.

On Friday, the monkeys explored the outer fence of the Alpha Genesis complex. Today, they continued to communicate with those who remained inside the facility, which is a positive sign, the police statement said.

Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard said efforts to capture all the animals will continue through the weekend and last as long as necessary.

Alpha Genesis, federal health officials and police say the monkeys do not pose a public health risk. At the aforementioned institution, monkeys are usually bred for sale to medical and other researchers.

Surya macaques escaped from a research center after a keeper forgot to lock their cages