Not cheerleading anything; it's just inevitable that a lengthy travel thread from a well-known member is going to get significant support. Of course, there should be at least one more of those coming to make things a little interesting.
I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who voted in the poll and it's nice for zoo nerds to be recognized for these things as it's always a massive effort putting together a long-form thread. My discussion on mammals struck a chord with a lot of people on this site and I thank everyone for participating. Having a popular thread on ZooChat gives people something to look forward to in life, even if it's a small thing, and that's something we shouldn't take for granted. Sometimes it's the tiny things that make a difference in this world.
It's a pity that ZooChat only started having 'Thread of the Year' competitions 8 years ago, as previous to that there's a lot of wonderful threads in the long history of this site. I think back to some really lengthy travel reports from myself and others pre-2017, as well as a variety of wonderful threads on numerous topics, but too much time has passed to go back and vote now.
Here are the complete statistical standings for all 8 thread of the year competitions so far (excluding the 5-year face-off champions thread): You get 5 points for 1st, 4 for second, and so on, and both get full points in the event of a tie.
