The real Paddington

摘要

Unlike its literary and cinematic cousin, South America's only bear species endures harsh conditions, covering a wide range of habitats and altitudes - all in aid of finding a decent meal.Some years ago, while exploring a remote area of Ecuador, knownas the Llanganates, a young botanist called John Clark and I spent five days tramping across boggy moorland known as paramo. We teetered along knife-edged ridges that disappeared into thick fog and stumbled through elfin forests composed of stunted, thorny trees no more than a few metres high, and which looked like something out of a dark, disturbing fairy tale.