What do the monkeys eat on Morgan Island?

The macaques are free-ranging, forage for acorns, insects, shellfish and plants, and “are the last standing group of rhesus monkeys used for medical research in the U.S.,” according to Klopchin. NIAID maintains that no research is conducted on the island, however.



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During the summer of 1979, the rhesus monkey breeding colony of the La Parguera facility of the Caribbean Primate Research Center was shipped to Morgan Island, South Carolina. During six shipments in 1979, and three more in 1980, over 1400 animals were translocated.

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Since these monkeys prefer not to swim, they can't come back to land. Over the years, the island has been battered by storms, causing disrepair. “There's not a whole lot of protection from the weather,” said John Pricher, Citrus County tourist development director.

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Morgan Island is uninhabited, and is home to a breeding colony of approximately 3,500 free-ranging, Indian-origin rhesus monkeys. There is a 370-acre (150 ha) portion of upland that supports a semi-tropical maritime forest where the monkey colony primarily resides.

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The S.C. Department of Natural Resources owns Morgan Island, but the federal National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is responsible for the colony itself.

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