There was an outpouring of grief late last month when news emerged that Harry, Dublin Zoo's resident male silverback gorilla, had died.

At the time of his passing his exact cause of death was unknown. However, a post-mortem has now been carried out and it appears that the great ape died from a stroke.

"The team at Dublin Zoo would like to thank everyone for their best wishes during the sad time since Harry, our silverback gorilla, died," a statement from the organisation read this evening. 

"Harry showed signs of being unwell on Wednesday 25th May. Despite the best of care from our animal care and veterinary teams, Harry passed away on Sunday morning 29th May.

"The post mortem has shown that Harry suffered a stroke."

Harry was 29 years old at the time of his death and during his time in Ireland he fathered six offspring; two females and four males.

The statement added that the rest of the troop "are doing well and have been calm since his passing".