Thousands of monkeys live on hidden South Carolina Island
The 3,500 Rhesus monkeys on the island are federally protected. WCNC did not disclose the island's exact location to protect its inhabitants.
"A lot of people don't believe it," said Vince Loper, whose family has owned a home directly across from "Monkey Island" for decades.
Loper himself had thought it was an urban legend until he finally spotted the monkeys.
On a recent trip to the island with Loper and his son, Devin, it took several hours for the monkeys to slowly come out of the trees and toward the boat.
Rhesus monkeys, which are native to India, were first brought to South Carolina in 1979. They were left on the island to live and breed almost 750 newborns a year.
Every monkey is tagged or tattooed, and each year, 500 monkeys are taken to labs.
Over the decades, they've been used to test vaccines for everything from AIDS to bio-terrorism agents.
Few people, even those who live nearby, have ever seen the animals.
"It's just amazing," said Vince Loper. "There's monkeys running around on that island right there."
