Staff at South Australian zoo have been saddened by the surprise death of expectant mother Soona.

Soona was expecting her first infant and was in the latter stages of pregnancy when she passed away. But miraculously her newborn has survived and is being cared for by another expectant mother at the zoo.

“Soona’s exact cause of death remains unclear at this stage, however initial observations indicate she passed away from complications during labour,” Monarto Zoo said in a statement. “Soona will be sorely missed by all that knew and loved her. Rest in Peace Soona.”

The zoo hopes a post-mortem examination of the 19-year-old mother will shed light on her exact cause of death.

As for now, female chimp Zombi has taken over caring duties but staff say it is too soon speculate on the long term health of the infant.

“Our number one priority is to ensure our staff and the chimpanzee family has the necessary support and privacy during this time,” the statement said.

“Although Zombi is an experienced mother, she is also in the late stages of her pregnancy so it is vital that she experiences no additional pressure considering she is now caring for Soona’s infant.”

The news was posted to the Zoo’s Facebook page late this morning, prompting an influx of message from well wishes.

“Condolences to all the staff at Monarto Zoo. I saw her recently and have lovely photos of her she will be missed,” wrote Janine Petkovic.

“So sad to hear. But it is comforting to know that her life was replaced with the survival of her baby. Love to all working at the zoo xxx,” wrote Stacey Camilleri.

The response from today’s post stands in stark contrast to the excitement expressed by the Zoo and social media users last week as staff anticipated the arrival of Soona’s first offspring.

The chimpanzee platform will be closed to the public until further notice.