A beloved hippopotamus called Gustavito has died after being beaten and stabbed at El Salvador's national zoo.

The country is one of the most violent on the planet, but the brutal killing has shocked a population numbed by years of gang violence.

Salvadorans mourned the death on social media and some left flowers at the gate of the zoo, which has been closed until further notice.

"Here we're used to seeing the dead every day," Martin Castillo, a street vendor in the capital San Salvador, said.

"They kill us like flies, but this tops it all. They killed an animal that only entertained us."


Vladan Henriquez, the zoo's director, told a news conference the hippo was covered in bruises and puncture wounds after apparently being attacked with metal bars, knives and rocks.

The attack happened last Tuesday, but zoo keepers did not discover the hippo's injuries until Thursday because Guastavito did not leave his pool.

The wounds lead to problems eating, and the 15-year-old hippo died of his injuries late on Sunday.

"I deeply and profoundly regret this situation," said culture minister Silvia Regalado.

She said she had seen the "hard work" by veterinarians and zoo workers who had tried in vain to save Gustavito's life.

The head of El Salvador's Zoological Foundation, Mauricio Velasquez, said: "We find it difficult to believe that someone is capable of doing that to a defenceless animal."

Justice minister Mauricio Ramirez Landaverde said an investigation has been launched.

Gustavito was born and raised in Guatemala, but was brought to El Salvador 13 years ago.

El Salvador recorded 5,278 homicides last year, an average of 14 people killed per day. Powerful street gangs have been blamed for most of the killings.