The time has come for the final vote on which thread deserves the title of thread of the year. We received dozens of submissions this year and it was great to see such great participation this year, so I thank you. However, only one can win, so here are your nominees.
Snowleopard's 2018 Road Trip: by @snowleopard - snowleopards 10th road trip thread sees the Canadian zoo enthusiast travel across the border and in to the United States for the 8th time. Unlike most travel threads on this site, instead of visiting a bunch of large major premiere facilities, instead attention is turned to the far smaller and unknown places of the Midwest with a few large exceptions (Omaha, Toledo and Detroit). Despite how puny some of these places may be, it usually means a very funny write up is coming. By the time it was all over, snowlepard had visited 421 different zoos across the world.
Catalogue of Penguins in Captivity Worldwide: by @Chlidonias - Taking on an ambitious task, Chlidonias creates an extensive database of captive penguins across the globe, including listings of current holders, total numbers per region and overall status worldwide. It is a brilliantly done thread that I'm sure consumed a lot of time in the process and is filled to brim with information on everything penguin.
Europe's 50 must see zoos: by @lintworm - Another incredibly ambitious undertaking, lintworm creates 50 detailed summaries of the best zoos all over Europe across dozens of countries. Some rather unknown places are discusses, while multiple high class juggernauts are also detailed. Photos are also showcasing the zoos that are being represented in this excellent thread and overall generated interesting debate. If this thread were a book I would have purchased it in a heart beat.
Zoo Decisions - Part 1 (Origins/South American Precinct): by @Zoofan15 - The title is fairly self-explanatory and the concept is simple, but this thread gained more participation than any other thread in the vote. It's a game based on zoochat members running a zoo and making the difficult decisions that come with it and treating like a real life scenario. Discussion was encouraged and debate was sparked and this concept managed to grow into six different precincts with a sequel already in the works for early next year.
LaughingDove Goes Travelling - SE Asia and Australia: by @LaughingDove - Lasting just under 16 weeks and over five countries, LaughingDove heads backpacking through the isolated corner of the world for nearly four months. The mission was the spot as much wildlife as possible and that mission was success with over 900 bird species seen. One of the most ambitious trips this site has seen, and one that requires immense planning and patience to execute properly.
Nice work to all of the nominees, but again, only one can win. Best of luck to everyone!
Also, a brief mention to everyone who submitted their picks this year.
@birdsandbats, @TheWalrus, @Brum, @TeaLovingDave, @DesertRhino150, @aardvark250, @Jambo, @OstrichMania, @akasha, @Hipporex, @Ebirah766, @Nate Brother, @CloudPardus, @WhistlingKite24, @Neil chace, @ZooBinh, @FunkyGibbon, @lintworm, & @ThylacineAlive
Snowleopard's 2018 Road Trip: by @snowleopard - snowleopards 10th road trip thread sees the Canadian zoo enthusiast travel across the border and in to the United States for the 8th time. Unlike most travel threads on this site, instead of visiting a bunch of large major premiere facilities, instead attention is turned to the far smaller and unknown places of the Midwest with a few large exceptions (Omaha, Toledo and Detroit). Despite how puny some of these places may be, it usually means a very funny write up is coming. By the time it was all over, snowlepard had visited 421 different zoos across the world.
Catalogue of Penguins in Captivity Worldwide: by @Chlidonias - Taking on an ambitious task, Chlidonias creates an extensive database of captive penguins across the globe, including listings of current holders, total numbers per region and overall status worldwide. It is a brilliantly done thread that I'm sure consumed a lot of time in the process and is filled to brim with information on everything penguin.
Europe's 50 must see zoos: by @lintworm - Another incredibly ambitious undertaking, lintworm creates 50 detailed summaries of the best zoos all over Europe across dozens of countries. Some rather unknown places are discusses, while multiple high class juggernauts are also detailed. Photos are also showcasing the zoos that are being represented in this excellent thread and overall generated interesting debate. If this thread were a book I would have purchased it in a heart beat.
Zoo Decisions - Part 1 (Origins/South American Precinct): by @Zoofan15 - The title is fairly self-explanatory and the concept is simple, but this thread gained more participation than any other thread in the vote. It's a game based on zoochat members running a zoo and making the difficult decisions that come with it and treating like a real life scenario. Discussion was encouraged and debate was sparked and this concept managed to grow into six different precincts with a sequel already in the works for early next year.
LaughingDove Goes Travelling - SE Asia and Australia: by @LaughingDove - Lasting just under 16 weeks and over five countries, LaughingDove heads backpacking through the isolated corner of the world for nearly four months. The mission was the spot as much wildlife as possible and that mission was success with over 900 bird species seen. One of the most ambitious trips this site has seen, and one that requires immense planning and patience to execute properly.
Nice work to all of the nominees, but again, only one can win. Best of luck to everyone!
Also, a brief mention to everyone who submitted their picks this year.
@birdsandbats, @TheWalrus, @Brum, @TeaLovingDave, @DesertRhino150, @aardvark250, @Jambo, @OstrichMania, @akasha, @Hipporex, @Ebirah766, @Nate Brother, @CloudPardus, @WhistlingKite24, @Neil chace, @ZooBinh, @FunkyGibbon, @lintworm, & @ThylacineAlive
Pretty sure you're missing a voter though...? 
