Katmai Opens 12th Fat Bear Week Voting on Sept. 22 as 32 Chunk Defends 2025 Crown
Updated
Updated · Fox Weather · Sep 18
Katmai Opens 12th Fat Bear Week Voting on Sept. 22 as 32 Chunk Defends 2025 Crown
3 articles · Updated · Fox Weather · Sep 18
Summary
Sept. 22 opens public voting in Katmai National Park’s single-elimination Fat Bear Week, with the winner set to be crowned on Sept. 29.
12 bears and five mother-and-cub families are competing this year across adult male, adult female and subadult brackets to see which bear packed on the most weight before hibernation.
32 Chunk returns as defending champion after winning in 2025, while notable contenders include 89 Backpack, 151 Walker, 428 Studious and subadult 620, whose mother 910 and aunt 909 are also in the field.
1.7 million votes from more than 100 countries were cast last year, underscoring the event’s global reach at Katmai, where salmon-rich Brooks River helps sustain one of the planet’s largest brown bear populations.