Mexico City zoo gorilla dies hours before meeting new mate

A famed silverback gorilla in Mexico City zoo died suddenly late Wednesday, just hours before he was to meet his new mate, city officials said Thursday.

The ape, named Bantu, was the only male of the four silverback gorillas in the country.

He was sedated Wednesday for his trip to the western city of Guadalajara, where zoo officials hoped he would find his perfect match in one of two female silverbacks.

But it was not to be. Bantu died of cardiorespiratory arrest shortly after 9:30 p.m. local time (03:30 GMT), the Mexico City Environmental Secretariat's zoo and wildlife division said in a press release, adding that nearly 20 specialists from both zoos tried for more than half an hour to revive him but failed.

Preparations for his transfer were made in keeping with international protocols established by the U.S.-based Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the officials said.

The Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City where Bantu was from "is in mourning and deeply regrets his death," the officials said, noting the gorilla would have turned 25 on Sept. 20.

Gorillas live an average of 40 to 45 years, sometimes more.

One Mexican daily carried an in-depth article Thursday about Bantu and his imminent move in search of a mate, which lent an ever sadder note to his tragic death.

"After eight years of being alone and without a partner, the primate will make a new attempt to reproduce," the daily El Universal said on its website. Endi