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.
Surveying its surroundings, a tiny harvest mouse climbs the stem of a dandelion .
Suspended FIFTY metres in the air, this is the last place that you would expect to find a fine dining experience .
LUMINOUS green rocks could easily be a beach from Superman's homeland of Krypton .
DIPPING his head into the vase of water, this little squirrel takes a refreshing break from an afternoon of eating .
THIS alien-like bug would look more at home in outer-space but it can actually be found wriggling around here on Earth .
LYING back in the snow, these two polar bears share a cuddle as they call time out on playtime .
A grey whale and her calf greet an audience of awestruck admirers on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico .
HOTSPOT MEDIA - WAVE-ING GOODBYE TO RUSH HOUR: WHILE most workers endure commuting chaos by road or rail everyday, one entrepreneur has come up with a novel way to get to the office - by KAYAK .
LEAPING through the air this determined little mouse is on a mission for food .
A middle spotted woodpecker swoops into her nest and feeds her young in a forest in Trentino, Italy .
This cheeky chappie is getting into all kinds of monkey business as he enjoys cooling off on a scorching hot day .
