ADORABLE CHIMP SHOWS OFF GYMNASTIC SKILLS

WITHOUT a care in the world, this little chimpanzee shows off her gymnastic skills as she swings around her enclosure. The blissful ape throws herself around using trees, branches and ropes in Southwick's Zoo in Mendon, Massachusetts. The playful scene was captured by photographer Abeselom Zerit when he visited the zoo in north-western America. The 43-year-old, of Pawtucket , Rhode Island, says:  "This adolescent chimp, named Tanzie, turned six in March and she reminds me a lot of my own five-year-old - very curious and rascally!

Other great stories
I'M READY FOR MY CLOSE UP NOW, MR NUTKIN

Red squirrels are well known for their intelligence and curiosity but when one snapper caught this furry little guy trying to take his own self-portrait he couldn't help but be taken aback .

SPLASHING KINGFISHER

CAUSING a splash, this determined kingfisher goes hunting for dinner .

THUG FISH LOOK LIKE THEY MIGHT BATTER PHOTOGRAPHER

STARING open-mouthed into the camera, this shocked fish looks out of place in the middle of its angry friends .

ADORABLE SQUIRREL GETS READY FOR A SNOWBALL FIGHT

ROLLING up snow in its tiny paws, this little squirrel is looking for a snowball fight .

NAKED SLACKLINERS TACKLE NEW CHALLENGES

BALANCING 30 metres above ground, these slackliners take the expression of living dangerously one step further, by tightrope walking NAKED .

19ST WOMAN LOSES 9ST AFTER GIVING UP GREGGS ADDICTION

A woman who was addicted to GREGGS has lost 9st after giving up her favourite food .

CANCER DRUG FIGHT DAD DIES, EVEN AFTER LYING TO GET TREATMENT

A former soldier who bravely took on penny-pinching NHS bosses in his fight against terminal cancer has died, aged 37 .

POLAR BEAR HUG

LYING back in the snow, these two polar bears share a cuddle as they call time out on playtime .

TEMPLE OF ZOOM

WELCOME to the Temple of Zoom where you can “experience” sliding down a Mayan temple into shark infested waters .

PRAYING MANTIS MAKES AN UNLIKELY FRIEND

A brave praying mantis makes an unusual friend in an Oriental garden lizard .

WOMB STROKE SURVIVOR AMAZES DOCS BY TAKING FIRST STEPS

WOMB STROKE SURVIVOR AMAZES DOCS BY TAKING FIRST STEPS - A little girl who suffered a catastrophic stroke in the womb which would have killed an adult has stunned the medical world by learning to walk, talk and see .

BRITISH KINGFISHER SPLASH

BRITISH kingfishers love to cool off by creating a splash .