VENTURING into the ocean with self-made spears and nets, the fishermen of Zanzibar put their lives on the line when they catch food for their families. The residents of the small island, located in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Tanzania, wade into danger when they travel an hour out to sea and into rough waves - in tiny man-made boats. Photographer Mario Gerth spent two weeks with the fishermen of four different villages, named Padje, Nungwi, StoneTown, and Matemwe. The 38-year-old, of Erfurt, Germany, witnessed the daily hardship the locals endure to provide for their families by catching catfish, shark and tuna.
Surveying its surroundings, a tiny harvest mouse climbs the stem of a dandelion .
A disabled sheep is enjoying a new fleece of life after receiving a specially-designed wheelchair .
AN EXERCISING turtle and an ice-skating chick are hardly everyday exploits in the animal community .
A young otter wades through a lake with his eyes set on an older rival’s fish .
SLEEPING within touching distance of wild African animals might not be everyone's idea of a relaxing break .
LYING flat out on his back, this little meerkat makes the most of the English sunshine .
Struggling home entertainment chain Blockbuster has been slammed for advertising its workers' jobs while they are still in them in order to scare them into working harder .
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 .
HUDDLING under a leaf, a pair of adorable Javan scops owls take shelter from the rain .
Grandmother Janet Kirby was told she couldn't board her plane home after being accused of assault .
What lies beneath this building site? Britain's great hope of winning the pre-WW2 arms race against Nazi Germany .
RESTING his weary head on his flipper, this little seal pup takes a much needed nap after an afternoon of strenuous yoga .