An island off the coast of South Carolina is causing a stir, with its population of 4,000-plus wild monkeys.
Morgan Island sits around 80 miles south of Charleston and the 4,489-acre outcrop consists of a mix of creeks, marshland and high ground strewn with mature trees and palms.
On TikTok, videos taken from passing boats offer a glimpse of what the mysterious island is like, with troops of monkeys running riot and signs on the sandy shoreline warning ‘do not feed, approach, disturb, molest, or injure the animals.’
The signs also note that ‘violators will be prosecuted.’
The rhesus monkeys aren’t native to the island, and 1,400 were shipped there in 1979 following a herpes outbreak at a primate research center in Puerto Rico.
An island off the coast of South Carolina is causing a stir, with its population of 4,000-plus wild monkeys
Morgan Island sits around 80 miles south of Charleston and the 4,489-acre outcrop consists of a mix of creeks, marshland and high ground strewn with mature trees and palm trees
The rhesus monkeys aren’t native to the island, and 1,400 were shipped there in 1979 following a herpes outbreak at a primate research center in Puerto Rico
While the island is owned by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the colony is managed by the federal National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Since then, the colony has grown but numbers have been largely contained due to the fact that up to 600 monkeys are taken away each year for animal testing purposes.
According to the Post and Courier, ‘no testing is done on the island itself’ and ‘instead, monkeys are sent to researchers working on vaccines and medical treatments.’
While the island is owned by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the colony is managed by the federal National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
A private company is hired for the actual care of the animals, with this contract worth several million dollars a year.
Members of the public are forbidden from stepping foot on the island and it is only accessible to trained researchers.
But for those who wish to get close to the island, there are several outfitters running boat tours, with the route running around the periphery.
Low Country Tidal Tours runs a Morgan Island tour for $250 plus gratuity and it says it is one of their most requested trips.
The tour company notes: ‘Morgan Island itself has a fascinating story and seeing rhesus monkeys in the low country landscape is nothing short of surreal.’
Members of the public are forbidden from stepping foot on the island and it is only accessible to trained researchers
For those who wish to get close to the island, there are several outfitters running boat tours, with the route running around the periphery
A private company is hired for the actual care of the animals, with this contract worth several million dollars a year
To date, the tour has been deemed as ‘excellent’ by all reviewers on Tripadvisor.
One tourist wrote: ‘We took a trip to Morgan Island to see the monkeys. Great trip, lots of monkeys.’
Another happy customer echoed similar sentiments, writing: ‘My wife and I were celebrating our 30th anniversary.
‘We heard about Monkey Island a few years ago and have been trying to see the monkeys.
‘Captain Scott was simply amazing. He set the date and time, took us to monkey island, shut the boat off and dropped anchor.
‘Within 10-15 minutes, monkeys came out of nowhere and in another 10-15 minutes there were dozens of monkeys all around us. It was a memory we will never forget.’
Drone footage uploaded by one Low Country Tidal Tours passenger reveals that there is a jetty on the island for researchers to dock at.
There are also several outbuildings for conducting routine veterinary care and storing necessary supplies.
Along with boat tours, several helicopter companies in the area offer trips circling Morgan Island, so passengers can get a bird’s eye view of the monkeys swinging in the trees below.
