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Four baboons held at a Texas biomedical research facility briefly escaped on Saturday after figuring out how to use a large barrel to break free.

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The baboons live at the Southwest National Primate Research Center, which is part of Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio. The facility houses around 2,500 animals — including about 1,100 baboons…

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The enclosure is surrounded by walls that fold inward to prevent the monkeys from jumping out. That wall, however, was apparently no match for four of the baboons, who rolled a 55-gallon barrel into an upright position, then climbed up on it and jumped out of the enclosure…

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One of the four baboons turned back shortly after getting over the wall, though the other three continued on and managed to get past the fencing around the perimeter of the institute. One witness got footage of a baboon running down a road with research facility staff chasing him…employees were able to get all the baboons back into the enclosure…

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Many people on social media were moved by the escape and felt that the baboons should be relocated to a sanctuary.

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