For a short stretch on Wednesday morning, a handful of baboons turned the Texas Biomedical Research Institute’s Southwest National Primate Research Center on the far West Side into their own private roaming grounds. The animals slipped out of their enclosure, but never left the campus as animal-care teams moved in for a quick recovery.
The baboons, part of the facility’s breeding colony, were rounded up without injury and returned to veterinary care. Texas Biomed said no employees, visitors, or members of the public were ever at risk, and emphasized that the animals were not infectious.
In a statement to KENS5, the institute said a small number of animals "left their enclosure" and "remained on campus" while trained animal-care and veterinary teams moved in and recovered them quickly. Officials said the situation posed no public-health threat and that staff would continue to monitor the animals. Local reporters noted that captures wrapped up shortly after staff located the baboons on institute grounds.
Where the animals live
The baboons are housed at the Southwest National Primate Research Center, a national primate facility hosted at Texas Biomed that supports aging and infectious-disease research. According to the SNPRC site, the center maintains a large breeding colony that supplies animals for long-term biomedical studies.
Not the first escape
While Wednesday’s episode wrapped up quickly, it is not the first escape linked to the facility. In 2018, four baboons used a 55-gallon barrel as a makeshift ladder to scale an enclosure wall before being recaptured, reporting by the San Antonio Express-News showed. That earlier incident prompted a review of enrichment items and enclosure hardware, and federal inspection records have since documented prior issues at the site.
What officials said
Texas Biomed told KENS5 that it "maintains a strong culture of safety and animal care, supported by rigorous protocols and continuous oversight." The institute said veterinary staff would keep the animals under observation and review what contributed to the escape in order to prevent a repeat performance.
Why it matters
For neighbors and commuters near the West Side campus, the quick recovery is likely welcome news, even if the sight of loose baboons on a research campus is enough to raise eyebrows. The institute maintains that there was no public-health threat, but the brief escapade highlights the ongoing need to review enrichment practices and perimeter safeguards to keep research animals where they belong.
Follow-up
Texas Biomed and the SNPRC websites provide additional background on the baboon colony and list media contacts for further questions. We will update this story if the institute releases a more detailed statement or if local authorities share additional information.
