Katmai National Park in southern Alaska launched its annual Fat Bear Week on 23/9, celebrating the park's plumpest brown bears.
From 23/9 to 30/9, the public can vote online to select the fattest bear in Katmai National Park. The competition is a single-elimination bracket tournament featuring 12 bears. Each round pits two "contestants" against each other, with the bear receiving the most votes advancing. Only one bear will be crowned the champion.
"The salmon run at Katmai is vital to the ecosystem and the brown bear population," said Katmai National Park Superintendent Mark Sturm. "Fat Bear Week encourages people to learn about the bears while also rooting for their favorite 'contestant'."
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128 Grazer, the 2024 Fat Bear Week champion at Katmai National Park, Alaska. Photo: AP |
128 Grazer, the 2024 Fat Bear Week champion at Katmai National Park, Alaska. Photo: AP
According to the Explore live camera network, some of the world's largest brown bears are currently foraging along the Brooks River in Katmai. The bears return to the river from mid-to-late June and remain until the end of October when the salmon run ends and hibernation approaches.
Fat Bear Week is designed to be educational, showcasing the bears' weight gain in preparation for winter hibernation, a period during which they fast for several months and lose up to 33% of their body weight.
Mother bears need to accumulate enough fat to survive the winter and nurse their cubs, while male bears compete for prime fishing territories.
The competition was first held in 2014 and received over one million votes from 100 countries last year. The 2024 champion was a female bear named 128 Grazer, who defeated a large male bear that had previously killed her cub.
Duc Trung (Guardian, AP)
