Gorilla dies in Prague zoo after accidentally hanging self

Tatu, a male gorilla, climbs ropes in the Prague zoological garden, on July 12, 2009. / AP Photo/CTK/ Rene Fluger

(AP) PRAGUE - A gorilla has died in the Prague Zoo after accidentally hanging himself with a climbing rope, zoo officials said Friday.

The zoo said in a statement that 5-year-old Tatu was found hanging with a rope around his neck Friday morning in a sleeping room. Spokesman Michal Stastny said all attempts to revive Tatu failed.

He said there were no cameras in the room and it is not clear exactly what happened.

Mammals curator Pavel Brandl said Tatu likely unbraided one of the dozens ropes the gorillas use in their pavilion for climbing and put a strand around his neck before hanging himself.

"It was an accident," Brandl said. He said the ropes are checked daily.

Brandl said another gorilla, Kamba, appeared to be trying to help Tatu when zookeepers arrived but "it's hard to say what exactly she was doing."

Director Miroslav Bobek told AFP that they had to use a water hose to shoo the other gorillas off Tatu. The oldest member of the heard, a female gorilla named Kamba was especially "stubborn."

Bobek said the death was the most tragic event at the zoo since flooding in 2002 killed more than 100 animals.

The zoo still has six gorillas, and they are among the most popular animals there. They also raise money to help protect gorillas around the world, including the Dja gorilla reserve in Cameroon, AFP reported. Tens of thousands of people watched Tatu's birth online on May 30, 2007.

[audemus]

Hey....life as an exhibit ain't no picnic....did they find a suicide note ?

[tiredofeverything]

Wonder why Mr. Roarke wasn't able to do anything ...

[Lerianis6]

Eh.... not surprised about this in the slightest. Sometimes, things like this happen.

[TheIrascibleOne]

So who's the lucky guy who had to do mouth-to-mouth?

>> "Brandl said another gorilla, Kamba, appeared to be trying to help Tatu when zookeepers arrived but 'it's hard to say what exactly she was doing.'"

And was Kamba the beneficiary of Tatu's estate? The plot thickens!

[albertj829]

I am really surprised that someone here hasn't blamed Obama. He gets the blame for everything else!

[raymailhot]

Blaming the great blamer, wow talk about heading them off at the pass!

[matt6052]

CSI: Gorilla Cage

I'd have to agree that there isn't enough evidence presented to conclude that it was accidental. I mean, how is a gorilla supposed to accidentally get a rope around his neck so tight that it suffocates him or breaks his neck? We all know chimps can be pretty despicable animals, so there's reason to conclude that gorillas are incapable or murder by hanging.

[randomites]

Simian suicide.

[travelers345]

There were no cameras and no people who saw what happened and yet they state conclusively that "it was an accident". What are we, stupid? They have no idea whether or not it was an accident.

[Oh_REALLY_Chum]

where were the people who are supposed to have these dangerous animals under 24 hour watch? Oh, I forgot, Prague zoo, that explains everything.

[Nellie_Athome]

Give me a break - no zoo watches its animals 24 hours a day.

Or is this just an excuse to disparage people who are not like you?

[petesis]

How do they know it was an accident? They do not. Poor thing. Then they attack the other gorillas with a water hose.... Disgraceful.

[Lerianis6]

Attack? Hardly. Shooing animals away with a water hose is much more humane, in my opinion, than using tranquilizers that are known to cause bad reactions in gorillas.

[petesis]

Humane...what? Is that supposed to mean something? Is it "humane" to cage these intelligent beings with no hope of freedom? I guess it is. By your standards, giving them the hose is humane.... Let them grieve? No, more important to go in with the hose because cowards like toolmangler are afraid to just let the poor thing grieve over it's fellow.