DAVIS, Calif. (AP) Seven research monkeys at the University of California, Davis died after a heater malfunctioned over the weekend, campus officials said.
Technicians at the Animal Resources Service facility discovered six female cynomolgous monkeys dead during a routine check Saturday. A ventilator failed and began blowing hot air into the room, raising the temperature to about 115 degrees, school officials said.
The seventh monkey had to be euthanized. An eighth monkey was treated for heat exposure and survived.
The monkeys, which each weigh about four pounds, belonged to a colony of research monkeys at the California National Primate Research Center. They were being housed at the ARS, in rooms that don't have monitors to alert workers if temperatures rise or fall, UC Davis spokesman Andy Fell said.
About 30 other monkeys held in different rooms at the ARS were moved to the Primate Center as a precaution after the accident, Fell said.
University officials are investigating, he said.
The monkeys at UC Davis are used for research into asthma, autism, Alzheimer's disease and AIDS. The monkeys found dead Saturday were breeding monkeys and were not being used for experiments.
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