A gorilla has died at Prague Zoo after accidentally hanging himself with a climbing rope, zoo officials said today.

Five-year-old Tatu was found hanging in a sleeping room this morning with a rope around his neck, the zoo said in a statement. Spokesman Michal Stastny said all attempts to revive Tatu failed.

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

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

"It was an accident," Mr Brandl said. He added that the ropes are checked every day.

Mr 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".

Zoo director Miroslav 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 its most popular animals. Tens of thousands of people watched Tatu's birth online on May 5, 2007.