UMAC 2021 - we have a winner!

by Mammal Society Student Representative, Beth Smith - Twitter: @BethRSmith_

It’s been quite a year but we were really happy to be able to run the University Mammal Challenge this year, albeit a little differently to normal. Thank you to everyone who took part, you all did an incredible job of getting out and looking for mammals despite the various lockdowns and restrictions.

In total, this year’s University Mammal Challenge generated 468 new transects on the Mammal Mapper and a whopping 2551 records of mammals; all of which will contribute towards the Mammal Society’s goal of evidence-based conservation of the UK’s furry inhabitants. 

Points for participants were calculated based on two separate metrics: number of transects recorded and number of mammal records submitted. The two categories were scored out of 10 and the total points used to determine the top 5 UMAC competitors. It was super close but the overall placement was as follows:

Place	Name	Institution	Points
1	Sophie Smith	Imperial College London	20
2	Isabella Sagnella	University of Essex	17
3	Michael Cuff	Manchester Metropolitan University	15
4	Holly Broadhurst	University of Salford	14
5	Bella Horwood	University of Greenwich	12

A huge congratulations to Sophie, Isabella, Michael, Holly and Bella! The top three competitors have been awarded the following prizes: 1) a student weekend ticket to the Mammal Society Conference in January; 2) a pair of 8x42 Olympus binoculars and 3) a £50 voucher to spend at Big Wild Thought - very generously donated by Big Wild Thought. Speaking of which, if you’re looking for ways to support the Mammal Society, check out our red deer design with Big Wild Thought: https://www.bigwildthought.co.uk/collections/stag!

As well as Big Wild Thought, we would like to thank Derek Gow for the donation of his book ‘Bringing Back the Beaver’, and Arik Kershenbaum and Penguin for their donation of Dr Kershenbaum’s book ‘The Zoologist’s Guide to the Galaxy’ in the earlier prize rounds.

Details for the 2021-2022 University Mammal Challenge will be announced shortly, with the competition starting up again in October so keep an eye out for registration if you’re a mammal-enthusiastic student!