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5h ago

Fat Bear Week Opens With 16-Bear Bracket as Defending Champion Chunk Returns

Public voting runs through Sept. 29 to spotlight how bears bulk up during hyperphagia and to raise awareness of Katmai’s salmon-fueled ecosystem.

bear comp
One of the bears competing in Fat Bear Week.
Brown bears fish for sockeye salmon on Aug. 11, 2023, at Brooks Falls, Alaska, within the Katmai National Park and Preserve.
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Overview

  • Voting opened on Tuesday, Sept. 22 for the single-elimination Fat Bear Week tournament, with the champion to be crowned on Sept. 29.
  • The field of 16 includes last year’s winner Bear 32 “Chunk,” heavyweights like Bear 164 “Bucky,” offspring Bear 903 “Gully,” several adult females with cubs, and younger subadults.
  • Fans vote online in daily windows (noon to 9 p.m. Eastern) by choosing between before-and-after photos and biographies; the bears are not physically weighed and advance by popular vote.
  • Organizers and naturalists say the Brooks River bears have reached ‘peak fat’ after summer salmon runs, a condition essential for surviving months of winter hibernation.
  • Katmai National Park runs the event with Explore.org and the Katmai Conservancy, using livestreams and the tournament’s reach to boost public education, donations and awareness of local conservation.