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This mischievous baby gorilla is having the absolute time of her life

Elle is known by Cincinnati Zoo staff as a playful little gorilla, but it’s not been an easy year for her.

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Elle the baby gorilla, who was seen somersaulting, spinning around and playing with the other gorillas

This baby gorilla was spotted showing off her playful side after she awoke from her afternoon nap.

Elle, who recently turned three, was seen somersaulting, spinning around and playing with the other gorillas in a video posted by Cincinnati Zoo.

It has been a tough year for western lowland gorilla Elle, whose mother Anju died in January from heart failure at the age of just 16.

In the weeks that followed, zoo staff worked to help Elle build up a bond with a surrogate mother, 20-year-old Mara, away from the other gorillas.

The pair were eventually reintegrated into the larger group in March.

Elle was the 50th gorilla born at Cincinnati Zoo and her name references the letter L, the Roman numeral for 50.

Native to parts of Africa including Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo, western lowland gorillas are critically endangered.

Numbers of the animal have declined by 60% in the last 25 years according to the World Wildlife Fund.

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