Vote Now for the 2024 NUTTER Awards and Claim Your Place in History

If you have been a part of this community for a while then the N.U.T.T.E.R Awards for Mammalwatching’s most Notable, Unique, Tantalizing, Tenacious and Enlightening Reports need no introduction. They are to mammalwatching what the Nobel Prize is to literature, health, physics and other stuff all far less important than mammalwatching. Last year’s winners are here. I am almost sure it is fair to say the lives of the noble victors were changed immeasurably for the better. I am almost sure.

But if you missed out on chance to vote in 2018 and 2023 then now is your chance to play a part.

Reports published in 2024 were eligible. As the amount of traffic grows on this site, the selection process becomes more difficult. So congratulations to everyone who was nominated in the following categories. Indeed although we tried to keep to just five nominations in each category there were just too many great reports to chose from so we have listed six nominations there.

Once again a big thanks to the team at Project Felis – especially Ruben and Valentin – for all their work organizing this along with those who attended the most recent community meeting where we shortlisted the reports together.

I am pleased to announce that the nominations have closed and the voting can begin. You can vote using this Google poll thing here until 14 February.

We only had five categories this year but plan to introduce two or three new ones next year. If you have suggestions for other award categories please add them at the end of the google poll. Best photography for example was suggested during Saturday’s community meeting.

The nominations are as follows.

Best Trip Report

Klaas Jan Arkema, Willem Wind, Tim de Boer & Jillis Roos – Western Sahara   
Very useful report, with some innovative maps showing sightings and habitats.
Valentin Moser, Ruben Vernieuwe, Inge Heremans, Saul Dewulf, Daan Dekeukeleire – Svalbard    
Well written and entertaining report with lots of information.  
https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/svalbard-northern-norway-and-finland/
Ian Thompson – India 
Another very readable report covering a ton of information from a massive trip.  
Alexander Meyer – Madagascar  
An incredible amount of species and some nice pictures
https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/madagascar-madness-alex-meyer-oct-nov-2023/
Rob and Romy Jansen – Vietnam     
Another excellent report from the Jansens with great pictures and a lot of useful information for those wanting to plan their own trip.
Remi Pichard – Ethiopia
Three trips with outstanding pictures and a lot of useful information  

Outstanding Guide

Carlos Bocos (South-East Asia, worldwide)
For accessing new areas and species to mammalwatching, eg Western Long-beaked Echidna, and applying his pro-league birding skills to finding mammals
 
Mike Gordon (Borneo)
Simply the Greatest Spoltlighter Of All Time!
 
Patrick Richard (Madagascar)
A new guide who is doing great things in Madagascar and has an incredible network of friends there
 
Harriet Kemigisha (Uganda)
For changing the mammalwatching game in Uganda and finding a the first fairly reliable spot for African Golden Cat
 
Zarek Cockar (Kenya)
For some superb guiding as well as running the East African Mammalwatching group on Facebook

Best and Worst Mammalwatching Moment

Charles Foley & Jon Hall – Cote d’Ivoire
Looking the wrong way for the Zebra Duiker (and then the right way for a Liberian Mongoose!)
https://www.mammalwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ivory-Coast-2024_Charles-Foley.pdf

Andreas Jonsson – Chile
Daytime sighting of Andean Mountain Cat at close range   
Jon Hall – Mexico
Although not that great of a sighting (let’s be fair), seeing the rarest cetacean on the planet deserves at least an honorable mention
https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/mexican-mega-marine-mammaling-2024/
Janco van Gelderen & Jillis Roos – South Africa
Seeing a Pangolin in the Kruger on their first night drive 
Lennart Verheuvel – Timor-Leste
Snorkelling with a Blue Whale should be on everyone’s bucket list
https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/bali-and-timor-leste-diving-with-blue-whales-and-more/

Most Inspiring Conservation Project / Person / Place visited

Ralf Bürglin – Dubai
Visiting reserves and projects on a publicity tour
Ben Altindo – West Papua
Promoting new eco-tourism areas and maybe finding a new species 
Jonas Livet – China
Nanjing Finless Porpoise project – A great report on this very worthwhile initiative that is saving a species
Shavez Cheema – Borneo
For his conservation work across Borneo
Juan Cruzado Cortes – Mexico
For services to Mexican mammals through his constant time in the field
See multiple reports featuring Juan here https://www.mammalwatching.com/gd_place/mexico/

Best First Report

Antoine-Rabussier – Madagascar
Excellent pictures and useful information for those wanting to travel independently.
Ellen Linton – Minnesota
A young mammalwatcher convinces her birding family to go lynx watching, with a talent for telling a story
Anna Bauerová – Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina
Bruno Kovács Gómez – Austria, Hungary, Greece and Italy
A young and very keen mammalwatcher (who is looking for mammals ‘even when he is asleep’ ) on a family trip: nice species and lots of details about the sites
Bennett Gardner – Sumatra
The first of many excellent trip reports

Post author

Jon Hall

Leave a Reply