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.
BEHIND the doors of this building, with its stacks of mattresses and discarded remains of wheelchairs, lies another victim of austerity cuts .
WITH a paw in the air and his tongue hanging from his mouth, it is clear to see that this little groundhog is struggling to wake up and leave behind the comfort of his burrow .
Fetching a tiny carrot and a head-shaped snowball, a red squirrel builds the perfect snowman .
BOXING DAY has come early for this pair of feisty squirrels, as their Christmas party quickly turns sour .
AN American accountant has grown the world's biggest MELON and smashed his way into the record books with his mammoth 350 .
In the calm waters of Greenland, gigantic icebergs dwarf everything around them .
An osprey soars through the air at 30 miles per hour before swooping down to catch its prey from a lake .
A BIKINI swim with jellyfish sounds like the most painful past-time on the planet .
Animal rescue volunteers have told how a cat riddled with cancer was forced to ripped off its own ears after it was abandoned by its owners .
A DETERMINED great blue heron holds on tightly to its prey as the furry gopher attempts to wriggle free .
WHETHER FLOATING through space or diving underwater, a lucky baby boy enjoys once in a life time experiences - in his DREAMS .
At first glance what might look like ordinary rusty bridge and road railings, are in fact amazing works of art .