Beloved baby elephant accidentally chokes himself to death after getting stuck in his favourite tyre swing 11-month-old Sanook was one of Melbourne Zoo's most popular attractions CCTV shows him getting head caught after 'manoeuvring it in unusual way' Post-mortem results confirmed pressure on neck prevented him breathing News of the Asian elephant calf's death prompts outpouring of emotion A baby elephant accidentally strangled himself after getting tangled up in his favourite toy, it emerged today. Zookeepers said CCTV footage showed 11-month-old Sanook, one of Melbourne Zoo's most popular attractions, getting stuck in a large tyre swing while playing in his enclosure. Zoo director Kevin Tanner said the calf 'managed to manoeuvre it in an unusual way that caused his head to become caught' at around 7pm AEDT last night. Tragedy: Sanook the 11-month-old baby Asian elephant (pictured when he was three months old) has died after choking to death while playing with his favourite toy in his enclosure at Melbourne Zoo He said: 'This placed pressure on his neck and would have prevented him from breathing.' Preliminary post-mortem results had confirmed the cause of death, he added. The CCTV footage has not been released by the zoo. News of the Asian elephant calf's death has prompted an outpouring of emotion from visitors and the wider Melbourne community. Twitter user @knowledgedgirl said: 'Very sad news from Melbourne Zoo, the elephant calf we watched grow from birth, dies suddenly.' Shock: Sanook (pictured with his mother Num-Oi) had been 'playing energetically' with no sign of illness when his keepers saw him last night A mother in grief: Sanook was the first child for Num-Oi, who arrived in Melbourne from Thailand in 2006 Mr Tanner told The Herald Sun that it has also been an 'emotional roller coaster' for his staff who were expecting the birth of another baby elephant very soon. He said his keepers were shocked to find Sanook dead this morning as he had been 'playing energetically' and suckling from mother Num-Oi with 'no indication of any illness' the previous evening, it was reported by ninemsn. The tyre swing was one of Sanook's favourite toys and was also popular with his siblings Mali and Ongard. News of the Asian elephant calf's death has prompted an outpouring of emotion from visitors and the wider Melbourne community They are commonly used by zoos around the world 'as an approved form of enrichment for elephants', the zoo said. Num-Oi has been acting differently since her baby died, Mr Tanner said. Sanook, which means fun-loving and cheerful, was named in a competition held by the Herald Sun earlier this year. She was the first child for Num-Oi, who arrived from Thailand in 2006.