Katmai Opens Fat Bear Week Voting for 16 Contenders as Salmon Runs Supercharge Weight Gain
Updated
Updated · Alaska Public Media News · Sep 20
Katmai Opens Fat Bear Week Voting for 16 Contenders as Salmon Runs Supercharge Weight Gain
3 articles · Updated · Alaska Public Media News · Sep 20
Summary
Online voting starts Tuesday in Katmai National Park and Preserve, where 16 brown bears are competing for this year’s Fat Bear Week crown—up from 12 contenders last year.
Unusually large sockeye salmon runs helped the bears bulk up for hibernation, with park officials saying some can nearly double their body weight and the biggest reaching about 1,400 pounds.
This year’s format drops the four-cub Fat Bear Junior bracket and instead adds whole bear families, spotlighting how mother bears must fatten both themselves and their cubs.
Defending champion Chunk returns after winning a contest that drew more than 1.7 million votes last year, while offspring of past winners Grazer and Holly are also in the field.
Started as a one-day event in 2014, Fat Bear Week has grown into a global online following that fans say offers a rare, low-stakes community centered on the bears’ resilience.