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 on the wing of his sibling, this needy owl is after some attention .
HUDDLED together on a branch, a pair of adorable Javan scops owls soak up the sun .
A pair of BEAUTIFUL rescue sea turtles spot their catch in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef .
SWIMMING slowly towards the shore, a small group of bottlenose dolphins arrive for breakfast at a beach in Western Australia .
Lying angelically with a range of expressions etched on their tiny faces, little bundles of joy are innocently captured in their first few days in these adorable photographs .
Raising his arms above his head and lying flat on his back, a polar bear stretches as he sprawls out across the ice .
THESE LOVE BIRDS can’t keep their beaks off each other as they share a very public display of affection .
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and for this greedy camel he can't get enough of his morning feed, as he gate crashes his owner's mealtime .
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 .
SEA LIFE and greenery in one shot show nature at its very best .
SPLASHING in the water and fighting in-between rocks, these energetic tigers enjoy their fun-filled morning .
A middle spotted woodpecker swoops into her nest and feeds her young in a forest in Trentino, Italy .