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.
This is the moment a nimble red fox and a lumbering Alaskan brown bear were locked in a tense stand-off .
These adorable pictures show the moment two cuddly red panda cubs take their first look at the outside world and are weighed for the very first time .
A disabled sheep is enjoying a new fleece of life after receiving a specially-designed wheelchair .
A couple celebrated tying the knot with a spectacular Alice in Wonderland-themed wedding reception .
Complete with core, mantle and crust, these incredible planet cakes are truly out of this world .
A GLOWING range of greens and blues sweep across the sky in a spectacular display of light .
VENTURING into the ocean with self-made spears and nets, the fishermen of Zanzibar put their lives on the line when they catch food for their families .
A brave leopard kicks back and relaxes in the sunshine - just inches from an enormous crocodile .
Most people bend over backwards to keep children entertained, but this baboon show us how it’s done .
This frozen lighthouse in Michigan could easily be mistaken for a still from the snow swept disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow .
LINED up one by one on a deer’s back, these little birds give their wings a break as they catch a ride across London .