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.
FLEXING his muscles and staring straight at his opponent, this bodybuilding squirrel is the nuts .
WIDE EYED with a huge smile across her face, this little elephant is a picture of happiness .
SHOWING off her best assets for the camera, this cheeky orangutan is in the mood for love, puckering up her lips to blow the biggest kiss she can .
A curious red squirrel takes a break from collecting nuts and tries her hand at photography .
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 .
The beds are consumed by moss instead of customers at this abandoned hotel .
SOME OF the sea’s most terrifying creatures show their softer side as they join a group of diners for lunch .
Ever wished you could live in a house just like Barbie's? Canadian sculptor Heather Benning has created the life-size dollhouse of her dreams out a derelict building .
IN THE not so MISTY MOUNTAINS of Wiltshire, there lies an abandoned hobbit house .
