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A beloved gorilla has died of a heart attack after being sedated so he could be transported to another zoo for mating purposes.

The creature, named Bantu, was given the sedative last night as vets prepared to transfer him to a different city in Mexico to mate with two females.

However, before they could set off on the trip, the 24-year-old gorilla suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest and passed away, officials said.

Frantic efforts to resuscitate him failed, Mexico City's environment department said in a statement, citing a preliminary autopsy.

Bantu, who was a major attraction at the capital's Chapultepec zoo , was supposed to have been taken to a facility in Guadalajara, 340 miles away.

(Image: Getty)

There, it was hoped he would mate with two females.

Around 20 vets and experts are believed to have been involved in the transportation efforts - which tragically ended in the gorilla's death, AFP reports.

Tests are now under way to confirm the cause of Bantu's passing - while employees at Chapultepec are said to be greatly distressed by the incident.

"This incident has caused great consternation among zoo personnel who cared for him for nearly 25 years," said the environment department's statement.

It added that international veterinary protocols had been followed in the incident.

Today, people were taking to social media to express their sadness at Bantu's death, with one Instagram user saying he had 'no words'.

(Image: Getty)

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The man wrote: "Bantu, the beautiful 25 year old Gorilla (They live up to 40 years) from the zoo of Chapultepec in Mexico City, died from a Heart attack undertake effects of the anesthesia when they were trying to move him to a zoo in the city of Guadalajara.

"No words for this tragic loss..."

The animal's death comes less than two months after a gorilla was shot dead at Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio, US, after a three-year-old boy entered his enclosure.

The silverback, called Harambe, was gunned down by zoo employees after grabbing the boy and dragging him quickly across a moat at the facility.

The shooting sparked outrage across the world after footage emerged of the creature wrapping his arms around the youngster in an apparent bid to protect him.

(Image: NBC News)

Ape expert Dr Emily Bethell, a senior lecturer in Primate Behaviour at Liverpool John Moores University, told the Mirror Online that Harambe's body language showed he was not threatening the child .

Dr Bethell said: “He was clearly being protective towards the boy.

“There were no signs of the gorilla being aggressive in the sense that he wanted to hurt the boy or anything like that."

However, the zoo's director defended his employees' actions, saying they made the right decision in shooting dead the animal and that the child was in danger.