The Andes of Peru Fickle skies, blue as a kingfisher’s wing, Crouching clouds casting cool shadows On gap-toothed, patchwork mountain slopes. Fields of barley, terraced, shimmering Ice-green torrents racing through canyons, Curry dust in eucalyptus-crisp air. Lofty roads, feats of ingenuity, Littered with corpses of sex-mad dogs, The twisted hulks of hapless trucks. Burdened women with black braided hair, Weathered faces, snot-caked toddlers, Men drunk on chicha and despair.

The kids never tire of asking me: “What’s your favourite animal, Mum?” I can tell they’re disappointed when I say “Well, I love all of them.” What a typically adult response. So wishy-washy. But, really, how to choose between the versatile chameleon, the swaying praying mantis, the electric hummingbird? And what about the irrepressible giant otter, and the curiously vulnerable black rhino? It seems impossible to select a favourite amongst all the world’s wonderful creatures.