A pipe burst on the Upper West Side became fatal for some exotic pets.
A heating system malfunction Monday sent hot water and steam into the Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine.
Seven birds, two rabbits and a hedgehog were killed.
The center also suffered damage to its equipment.
The manager of the veterinary hospital says they're used to giving pet owners the bad news, but this was much different.
"This was so much worse because a lot of these animals were healthy and there's no reason they should have died other than mechanical failure. It was just one of the worst days I've ever had," said manager Lorelei Tibbetts.
Most of the animals that did survive are being housed next door at a sister clinic.
For more information on how to help the center, visit their GoFundMe page at http://www.gofundme.com/AvianandExoticVets.