An exotic wild goat died at a Calgary Zoo in front of stunned onlookers on Friday, when it accidentally hanged itself from a rope.

Witnesses said the two-year-old Turkmenian markhor first appeared to be in danger when it had difficult staying on its legs.

"It couldn't stand up," said witness Aubrey Williams, a mother who had brought her family to the zoo. "That's when we noticed that from behind the log it had a rope around its neck."

Williams hurried to a nearby gift shop, where she reported the incident. The employees assured her they would notify the markhor's keepers, but told her not to worry.

"She said, 'Oh, they do that all the time,' and didn't really seem too distressed about it," Williams told CTV News.

After Williams returned to the goat exhibit, she saw a zoo keeper attempting CPR on the goat, but it was too late.

Williams said she believes zoo officials may have taken too long to reach the goat.

"It was quite a few minutes," she said. "It wasn't five. It was probably more."

In a written statement, staff said they rushed to the scene. They also said the goat had been playing with a toy used for mental stimulation, when it became entangled and somehow broke its neck.

"The boomer ball had been suspended above a log walkway as a regular play toy for the markhor and ibex which share the exhibit," said the press release.

"When the wild goat became entangled on Friday afternoon, a passing visitor notified staff in the nearby Tiger's Den gift shop who immediately called Zoo security. Two keepers who were working in the nearby Red panda exhibit rushed to the scene and tried to rescue the animal. They climbed to the log walkway and immediately cut the unresponsive animal loose and carried him to an area where they could administer mouth-to-nose resuscitation and CPR in an attempt to save him."

Veterinarians also arrived at the scene to offer medical support.

Cathy Gaviller, director of conservation, education and research at the zoo, said the toy had been in the exhibit for several years.

"We are of course very saddened by this incident," said Gaviller. "The keepers regularly make the rounds of all the exhibits, but they take care of a number of animals in the area."

The markhor's death is only the latest tragedy to hit the Calgary Zoo. In November of last year, an elephant calf died from a virus. And last May, 41 stingrays mysteriously died.

In 2006, four gorillas died, including a baby less than two weeks old. Two years before that, a three-week-old elephant died after being rejected by its mother.

Zoo officials said Saturday they had removed the toy from the markhor's exhibit and would be examining ones in other enclosures.

With a report by CTV's Janet Dirks in Calgary