“Bantu,” a 25-year-old gorilla at the Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City, died Thursday after being sedated prior to a scheduled journey to the Guadalajara Zoo.
Zoo officials in Guadalajara had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Bantu, pinning their hopes that he could impregnate the two female gorillas resident here.
Veterinarians confirmed that Bantu suffered a heart attack after being given inappropriate medication to tranquilize him for the journey. A team of around 20 specialists from both zoos had been formed to supervise Bantu’s transfer to Guadalajara.
Bantu’s death caused consternation among zoo workers, some of whom had been looking after him for two decades.