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.
SWIMMING next to 40 tonne whales, dare-devil divers take the plunge with these gentle giants of the sea .
FLOATING effortlessly on his back, this little otter laps up a rare glimmer of English spring sunshine .
TRYING their best to wriggle away, three adorable tiger cubs receive their health checks at Chester Zoo .
A little caterpillar fearlessly scampers down a branch and confronts a praying mantis .
FLEXING his muscles and staring straight at his opponent, this bodybuilding squirrel is the nuts .
WELCOME to the 125 decibel boombox bus that could damage your hearing if you party too close to its giant speakers .
An Italian photographer travelled to the highlands of New Guinea where he met an Indonesian tribe untouched by the modern world .
A brave praying mantis makes an unusual friend in an Oriental garden lizard .
An Australian explorer has travelled the globe with a toy pig, known as Travel Piggy, in search of a missing cuddly companion .
LIKE A living balloon this baitball of sardines is ready to burst when threatened by a pointy nosed sailfish .
CLINGING onto nothing but ice, this brave climber reaches heights of 1000 FEET as he scales frozen solid waterfalls .