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.
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 .
Raising his arms above his head and lying flat on his back, a polar bear stretches as he sprawls out across the ice .
A quiet Himalayan mountain village springs to life for a colourful Buddhist festival designed to expel evil spirits and bring happiness .
A curious red squirrel takes a break from collecting nuts and tries her hand at photography .
This is the moment a nimble red fox and a lumbering Alaskan brown bear were locked in a tense stand-off .
An adorable orangutan named Pongo celebrates his first birthday at Zoo Atlanta, Georgia, America .
WELCOME to what could be the world's tallest TOTALLY wooden construction .
A soap bubble lands on the frosty ground and creates a shimmering snow globe as crystals form around it .
RACING through the mountain range on horseback, the Kazakh people practice their ancient tradition of hunting with golden eagles .
A brave praying mantis makes an unusual friend in an Oriental garden lizard .
