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.
SHOVELLING food into his mouth, this hungry gorilla enjoys a peaceful moment at dinner time .
A German photographer travelled around Africa where he met and photographed members of tribes in a series of intimate portraits .
MASKED intruders look sinister but really they are a gang of urban exploring pranksters .
BLOWING bubbles underwater, this adorable polar bear slides into his tank for a playful dip .
LUMINOUS green rocks could easily be a beach from Superman's homeland of Krypton .
A NINJA red squirrel cuts a dashing figure as the little fella jumps up to ten-feet between treetops in the Yorkshire Dales .
THE THOUGHT OF BECOMING shipwrecked on a remote destination would fill most holidaymakers with dread .
An Indonesian farmer is dragged through muddy water as he clings to the tails of two charging cows .
SAILING over crystal clear waters, the Bajau people of Malaysia live their lives almost entirely at SEA .
DASHING through the snow, this little stoat is on the lookout for a Christmas feast .
SWIMMING in unison, millions of silverside fish dwarf the divers .