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.
A kingfisher’s bright blue and orange feathers glisten in the sunlight as the bird dives into a lake .
A NINJA red squirrel cuts a dashing figure as the little fella jumps up to ten-feet between treetops in the Yorkshire Dales .
Hot on the heels of a little rabbit, this cheetah is on a mission to catch his prey .
PUCKERING up and enjoying some quality time, these are the most lovable monkeys on the planet .
THEIR gnarling teeth at the ready, these two baboons fight it out for the last piece of fruit .
A BIKINI swim with jellyfish sounds like the most painful past-time on the planet .
BRAIDED, sculpted and beaded, these are the eye-catching hairstyles worn by the tribal women of Angola .
Throwing their arms up in the air, these energetic squirrels play a game of ball with a walnut .
RAISING his flipper, this two day old seal pup gives a wave to the camera .
A mischievous fox cub demonstrates his playful side by biting his sibling’s tail .
A GLOWING range of greens and blues sweep across the sky in a spectacular display of light .
MEET the little lion of suburbia with a mane that makes him look like a mini-king of the jungle .