CARRYING a fully grown goat on his back, this five-year-old boy is a child shepherd in the mountains of northern Ethiopia. Away from modern civilization, children living in the Simien Mountains spend their gruelling days herding, or carrying, animals and walking miles through the rocky terrain. From the age of five these children are responsible for goats and sheep in the highlands and when they do rest, the boys and girls are schooled in classrooms made from mud, rocks and wood. German photographer Mario Gerth trekked 3,000 metres up the Ethiopian mountain range to visit this group of Tigray people and their hardy children and witness their unorthodox lifestyle.
WITH STUNNING colours and serene scenes, these photographs capture the otherworldly beauty of the English coast .
SWIMMING next to 40 tonne whales, dare-devil divers take the plunge with these gentle giants of the sea .
DIVING boffins fired harpoons into 30-foot-long whale sharks in a bid to put the sea-beasts on Google Maps .
CARRYING a fully grown goat on his back, this five-year-old boy is a child shepherd in the mountains of northern Ethiopia .
TUGGING at his exhausted mum's ears, a beautiful baby orangutan refuses to settle for a nap as he begins a game of peek-a-boo .
ROLLING around in the snow, these young brown bears take a break from their play fight to share a tender hug with one another .
The gunslingers are long gone and tumbleweeds have taken over at this abandoned American Wild West Theme Park in Cornwall .
THIS LITTLE squirrel tries to keep himself snug as snow starts to fall around him .
WITH the mystical clouds forming a thick blanket and the electrifying lights below, these stunning pictures provide a unique view of the cityscape of Dubai taken from the tallest building in the world .
PERCHING on top of a gate, this young barn swallow waits patiently for his mum to return with dinner .
LYING flat out on his back, this little meerkat makes the most of the English sunshine .