Although you've probably never heard of Morgan Island, in South Carolina, we're sure the destination is about to become your next must-visit: these 2,000 acres of land—owned by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources—are home to 4,000 wild monkeys.
The island's history is a long, strange and super interesting one: back in 1979, after the herpes B virus killed off much of the monkey population in Puerto Rico's Caribbean Primate Research Center, scientists brought over 1,400 rhesus monkeys to this South Carolina island for research purposes by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Over four decades later, the colony amounts to more than double that number (breeding rate: 750 new monkeys per year!) but the animals are no longer used for research. Protected by the federal government, they are left to freely roam around as they please, not even having to worry about humans potentially disturbing them. Nobody is allowed on the island, although boats and cruises frequent the area to see the spectacle from a distance. Can you blame them?
Don't get any ideas, though: as cute as the monkeys are, they are known for being territorial (rightfully so) and won't be happy to bump into trespassers. So don't even think about jumping off your boat to illegally walk around the island.
Until we can actually get around there, we'll be sitting here, scrolling through pictures of the incredibly cute furry ones: