We're pleased to announce that our December 2016 KEnewsletter competition winner is Andrew Rodwell from London who wins an Osprey Axis Rucksack worth £45, courtesy of our 'Recommended Outdoor Retailer' Cotswold Outdoor. We asked you to email us your short stories and pictures of incredible Planet Earth animal encounters you have had on your adventures around the world.

Read his short story from the Falkland Islands...

WINNER - ANdrew rodwell from london - the falkland islands (Visit them on our spirit of shackleton polar cruise)

My Planet Earth Animal encounter is..."Hello, do you speak penguin?" this delightful waddler on two feet seemed to ask cocking his head and eyeing me quizzically. Oh! They are so cute. My Australian friend Richard and I got up close to wildlife on the Falkland Islands in 2013. One must stay behind a flimsy barrier and not touch. A jeep had taken us to the colony over bumpy terrain. It's funny, the Falkland Islanders speak with a slight accent and I've often noticed a somewhat ruddy complexion in their faces. At the penguin colony, Richard and I were puzzled by white streaks along the ground. Then Eureka! We found out why. When a penguin needs to do a number two, he or she leans back slightly and squirts it out in a forwards direction! I've been lucky enough to visit the Falklands twice for the day by cruise ship. And even luckier that the sea has been calm enough to allow the ship's tender boats ashore. So the next time you find yourself in this little bit of Britain in the South Atlantic, remember to support the wildlife and make friends with a P-P-P-Penguin!

Spotting the big cats – Kit Wilkinson, Best of Northern India

Heading out into the Project Tiger reserve of Ranthambore in the early morning, our open-top safari truck eased down into a rocky valley where sambar deer were barking their alarm calls. Our guide was super positive about our chances of spotting a tiger... he'd heard on the radio that one was in the area. But, time passed and the excitement waned as we reached the end of the road. Suddenly, way out in the scrubby forest I spotted through my binoculars the distinctive hindquarters of a big cat as it slinked away from us. Tiger! tiger! I exclaimed excitedly, pointing. The guide was quick to correct me. Leopard, he said. Big male. OK, it wasn't a tiger, but everyone was pretty chuffed!

Cheeky Monkey! - Tavienne Kelly, Land of the Living Mountains, Indonesia.

These cute little monkeys that live in the Sanctuary in Ubud, Bali, loll around playfully in the sun, waiting for their next unsuspecting holidaymaker. As I sat down on the Amphitheatre steps, a little baby approached and bounced onto my lap. After winning me over with some little handshakes and a super cute smile, this smart little animal tried to open the zip on my bag with his clever little hands and dare I say, he almost succeeded to grab my passport. They may look cute and fluffy, but they are far smarter than you think.

Close up with a Condor – Fiona Marshall, Choquequirao to Machu Picchu, Peru

It was a beautiful blue-sky day as we ascended towards the Abra San Juan Pass on the Choquequirao trek in Peru. As I plodded up the slope I heard the people behind me shout out; concerned, I looked back to see what the problem was. As I turned my head, a saw a huge bird sweep majestically past me at eye level no more than 10m away. There was no mistaking it, this was a close-up encounter with a condor. I could clearly see a white ruff around the neck showing that this was a large male bird - he looked like something from another world. We watched him glide around us, circling the thermals as he ascended up into the heavens.

A Flying Fratercula! - Hazel Denby, Far out in the Faroes

Although better known as the Atlantic Puffin I was in awe as they flew above me on the Island of Mykines in the Faroe Islands. As I descended down the grassy slope there were hundreds of them before me. As they take off, they look very ungainly, flapping in mid air, but don't be fooled, their swimming technique is far superior. Diving into the ocean, they pop out a few seconds later with a beak full of fish. Now thats was you call fishing for food!

Over there...Polar bear!... – Chloe Johnson, Realm of the Polar Bear, Arctic Cruise

Early in the morning the ship entered Woodfjord. At around 9am we reached 80 degrees north; only 594 nautical miles from the North Pole! We were in a truly arctic scene; deep blue sea with intermittent strips of gleaming white ice. This was made simply perfect by the sighting of a female polar bear with her cubs. Once the announcement was made everyone rushed outside. We watched the mother and her three cubs walk, play and run along the ice, occasionally jumping in the ice blue water and with ease, pulling themselves onto the next streak of ice for over an hour. Our ship slowly and quietly moved on; leaving us all feeling truly privileged.

Catch me if you can... - Caroline Williams, Mount Roraima Trek & Angel Falls. Venezuela.

My absolute favourite animal encounter was with a Roraima Black Frog (actually a toad!). These cold-blooded creatures can only be found on the top of Mount Roraima in Venezuela; a sheer-sided table top mountain (or ‘Tepui’), which was the inspiration for Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘Lost World’. Coal black and measuring just a couple of centimetres, these tiny critters have been left to evolve so far away from common predators that they have never even had to learn how to jump! At least this makes them easy to catch! Their minuscule size can make them difficult to spot, but our eagle-eyed Pemon Indian guide, Roger, spotted one hiding amongst the ocean of strange rock formations, carnivorous plants, rare orchids and bromeliads that decorate Roraima’s 31 km2 summit plateau.

Monkeying around – Fiona Marshall, Curzon’s Trail and the Kuari Pass, India

The trek through the Himalayan foothills in India's Garhwal is one of my all-time KE favourites. This is classic trekking country - forested ridges and snowy peaks. To add to the mystique, the glaciers here feed the mighty Ganges, the holy river that carries the soul of India from the mountains to the sea - this is holy India. The forests here of oak and rhododendron are home to several tribes, of people and of monkeys! Meeting a large troupe of langur monkeys, swinging expertly around the branches, it felt like one was entering a scene from the Jungle Book, but I was the one feeling like the Jungle VIP!

Takin pictures – Glenn Rowley, The Snowman Trek, Bhutan

In 1993, I led a KE group to Bhutan across Lunana to Gangkhar Puensum, the highest unclimbed peak on earth at 7570 metres. There had been less than 60 people fortunate enough to have undertaken this fantastic and remote journey. The highest pass at the end of the trip was the Gophu La (5345m) which we crossed early in the morning. Myself and a client decided to climb a small peak above the pass and as we reached the summit and looked down into the valley below we spotted a group of Takin, the national animal of Bhutan. I remember we sat for almost half an hour looking and photographing these magnificent animals, which may not have seen westerners before. There are still very few people that have trekked this route across northern Bhutan and to date, it remains my favourite.

Don't stress me out!!! - Vanessa Douglas - the philippines - highland and Island explorer

With eyes the size of it's brain, a body the size of an adults hand, and a neck that can rotate a full 180 degrees in either direction, the Tarsier is a weirdly wonderful furry animal! Once located in rainforests across the world, they are now an endangered species existing only on a few islands across South East Asia, including the Philippines. Unfortunately due to an increasing human population and progressive developments, their homes are continually under threat. However don't consider taking one home as Tarsiers are highly sensitive and can stress out causing them to commit suicide!

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.