SOUTHBOROUGH - The federal government is weighing whether it will launch a formal probe into the practices of the New England Primate Research Center following the death of an animal there in June.

"The preliminary step is simply making the routine inspection," said David Sacks, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "Research facilities are responsible for following protocol to the letter."

During a June 29 inspection, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services said it found the body of a primate on the floor of a cage that had been sent through a cage-washing system on June 9.

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