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.
An intrepid explorer hopes to be reunited with his travel partner, after his cuddly toy companion was stolen .
Throwing their arms up in the air, these energetic squirrels play a game of ball with a walnut .
SNUGGLED up in the hay away from the elements, this adorable hoglet has sought solace with a familiar friend .
HEART-MELTING shots of a French bulldog and a ten-month-old French baby could be the cutest you’re likely to see .
A brave leopard kicks back and relaxes in the sunshine - just inches from an enormous crocodile .
The dog having been pulled from the car - A police officer smashed a window in the blue Chrysler car to free the dog which was in visible distress .
FLAUNTING its new accessory, a fashionable green dumpy tree frog poses for the camera while wearing a SNAIL as a hat .
AN ARRAY of colours, from pinks to blues and oranges, fill the night sky to create an amazing collection of interstellar patterns .
A little caterpillar fearlessly scampers down a branch and confronts a praying mantis .
A proud gorilla mum welcomes her newborn baby western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species .
It's incredible to think anyone could live in such horrendous squalor - yet two men have been prosecuted for keeping their homes in such revolting conditions that it was no longer fit for their animals .
WIDE EYED with a huge smile across her face, this little elephant is a picture of happiness .