Bear lovers are on the lookout to nominate their favorite animal in Alaska’s annual Fat Bear Week, just days after one of the contending bears was killed by another bear.
The tournament started a decade ago and allows viewers to select their favorite brown bear from Katmai National Park, Alaska, as the animals fatten up before winter.
Twelve bears are chosen for the Fat Bear Week competition, and fans can vote online to decide who will win. For each match-up, the bear with the most votes advances to the next round until a winner remains.
The audience is asked to vote for the animal they believe best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears. A bear’s survival depends on accumulating ample fat reserves before hibernating. They lose about one-third of their body weight as they sleep through winter.
“Getting fat before winter is the goal, yet brown bears find success and overcome hardship in many ways,” the Fat Bear Week website reads.
This often leads to harsh competition for food among the animals, as became apparent on Monday when a male bear mauled one of the female competitors to death.
The death delayed the competition, with organizers introducing this year’s contestants on Tuesday, a day later than scheduled.
The incident was captured by one of the webcams set up around the park for the contest, which is livestreamed each year.
“National parks like Katmai protect not only the wonders of nature, but also the harsh realities,” Katmai National Park and Preserve said in a statement. “Each bear seen on the webcams is competing with others to survive.”
The incident occurred at Brooks River, downriver from Brooks Falls, where bears come to feast on salmon. The river offers perhaps the world’s biggest window for animals to feed on salmon, from late June to mid-October, Fat Bear Week said.
Katmai National Park and Preserve said that bear #469, who committed the killing, had not been selected for the competition, as only the heaviest animals were eligible. Bear #402 was listed as the animal killed.
Grazer and Chunk
Last year’s champion, Grazer, is now a proud new mom raising her first cub. If she retains her title, she will be the first mother bear to win the competition.
The most dominant bear at Brooks Falls is last year’s runner-up, Chunk, who has yet to secure a Fat Bear title.
Fat Bear Week is organized by explore.org, Katmai National Park and Preserve, and Katmai Conservancy.
The tournament has been steadily gaining popularity over the past 10 years, growing from a one-day event with 1,700 votes to a worldwide weeklong celebration with almost 1.4 million votes cast from more than 100 countries in 2023.
“Fat Bear Week transcends political polarization,” said explore.org’s founder, Charlie Annenberg, in a statement. “It is an election in which every candidate is fit for office,” he said.
“The bears have demonstrated their credibility through hard work, skill, and the growth of their waistline. Each aims to achieve the same goal—surviving winter hibernation. They all are worthy of our respect and admiration.”
Voting started Wednesday, and a big, fat winner will be announced on Oct. 8.