Fat Bear Week brings a lot of attention to Alaska’s stunning Katmai National Park and Preserve. While the region’s bears are incredibly loveable, they’re not the only wonders found within Katmai. This unique park offers a world of adventure for curious, outdoorsy visitors.
In addition to being an excellent place for spotting wildlife, Katmai also provides one-of-a-kind opportunities for backcountry sightseeing. The park encompasses 4 million acres of remote Alaskan wilderness, from frosty mountaintops to glittering lakes. Guests can turn their journey into a real outdoor retreat by staying at a local lodge or campsite. Get inspired to plan a trip to Alaska with this list of seven fascinating things to do at Katmai National Park and Preserve.
Another wonderful week of giant and adorable brown bears has come to an end. As of 9 p.m. EST on October 10, Fat Bear Week 2023 crowned its final winner. Twelve fuzzy ursine competitors entered the competition, but only 128 Grazer earned the title of 2023’s fattest bear. Grazer went head-to-head with 32 Chunk in the Fat Bear Week bracket’s final round. Final poll results showed a landslide victory for 128 Grazer, who earned 108,321 votes to 32 Chunk’s 23,134 votes.
While the polls may be closed, that doesn’t mean we have to stop appreciating these lovably rotund animals. Keep the fire of Fat Bear Week alive by learning about this year’s competitors in the gallery below.
Fat Bear Week returns! Once again, wildlife enthusiasts are turning their attention to the brown bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. This battle of the biggest invites people from all over the world to cast their vote for the fattest bear. With the Fat Bear Junior competition over and 806 Spring Cub reigning supreme, Katmai’s adult bears are ready for their turn in the limelight.
Last year, the competition experienced a minor ballot-stuffing scandal. Thankfully, Katmai easily resolved the incident and announced bear 747 as the 2022 Fat Bear Week champion. Voting for Fat Bear Week 2023 has already begun, and a winner should be crowned after polls close on October 10. While you wait to discover the fate of your favorite bear, bone up on bear trivia with these answers to common Fat Bear Week questions.
Fat Bear Week competitor 128 Grazer’s before and after photos. / Image courtesy of Katmai National Park and Preserve
Why do people vote for the fattest bear?
Because it’s very fun and delightful. This lighthearted competition began in 2014 when rangers from Katmai National Park and Preserve celebrated “Fat Bear Tuesday” on the park’s Facebook page. The following year, Katmai capitalized on the social media momentum with the first official Fat Bear Week competition. The bracket helps the park engage with followers online while raising awareness and money for the Katmai Conservancy’s Otis Fund.
Who hosts Fat Bear Week?
Katmai National Park and Preserve’s rangers team up with the Katmai Conservancy and explore.org to host Fat Bear Week. If you can’t get enough of Katmai’s cute bears, explore.org offers a livestream of Katmai’s Brooks Falls, where brown bears are often spotted. On October 10, explore.org’s resident naturalist Mike Fitz and Katmai rangers will join the livestream to discuss the 2023 Fat Bear Week winners.
Why are the bears getting fat?
As you can probably guess, these bears are fattening up for hibernation. But what does that mean exactly? The Fat Bear Week homepage explains, “During hibernation, bears do not eat or drink and can lose one-third of their body weight. Their winter survival depends on accumulating ample fat reserves before entering the den. To get fat, bears gorge on the richest and most accessible foods they can find.”
What do the bears eat?
Food is important for bears looking to bulk up before winter. At Katmai National Park and Preserve, brown bears mainly eat salmon. This means that the survival of these bears heavily depends on a healthy local salmon population. To protect brown bears, the Katmai Conservancy also works to protect salmon.
Where can I vote for Fat Bear Week?
You can cast your vote here, on explore.org’s Fat Bear Week hub. Voting closes tomorrow at 9 p.m. EST, so move fast to support your favorite bear. Keep up with the competition through updates on Katmai’s socialmedia channels.
Fat Bear Week competitor 32 Chunk’s before and after photos. / Image courtesy of Katmai National Park and Preserve
Footage captured this week on Alaska’s Brooks River shows why a famous brown bear has earned the nickname “Shower Bear.”
Fans of the Exlore.org Bear Cams that feature brown bears feeding in Alaska’s Brooks River are celebrating the return of Bear 164, aka Bucky Dent or Shower Bear.
The accompanying footage shows the adult male bear’s distinctive fishing method, which involves standing under the lip of Brooks Falls with his head submerged and watching for migrating salmon falling backward after failing to leap over the lip.
“Bear 164 – Shower Bear also known as Bucky Dent has returned to Brooks!” Explore.org. announced Thursday via social media.
Brooks River, in Katmai National Park, is home to the stars of Fat Bear Week, a fan-driven competition conducted each fall to celebrate the bears’ success in fattening up in advance of the winter hibernation season.
Bear 164 is nicknamed Bucky Dent – after the former Major League Baseball star – because of the dark, vertical indentation on his upper snout, or muzzle.
It’s not clear if he’s shown catching a fish in the accompanying clip, because he’s mostly submerged, but he apparently was successful Wednesday night.
Reads one comment: “His technique pays off for sure! Was cracking up last night when he was catching them back to back.”
Another: “Poor mom looks really stressed out from this one. All that huffing. And the way she keeps looking at the bear who just happened to be closest.”
Mom is cataloged as Bear 402. She’s one of dozens of brown bears that spend the summer feeding in the Brooks River in Katmai National Park.
Brooks Falls is one of the prime fishing spots and dominant bears position themselves atop or just below the falls to catch migrating sockeye salmon.
Explore.org has live-feed cameras positioned on the river so the public can watch the bears feed and interact.
Brown bears in Katmai National Park are among the largest bears on the planet, with some exceeding 1,000 pounds by season’s end. (Larger bears might eat as many as 40 salmon per day.)
The bears are the stars of Fat Bear Week, a fan-driven competition conducted each fall to determine which bear took the fullest advantage of feeding season.
The reigning champion is Bear 747, aka Bear Force One.
Fans of the world-famous brown bears on Alaska’s Brooks River are breathing a sigh of relief as their beloved Otis is alive and seemingly well.
Fans of the world-famous brown bears on Alaska’s Brooks River are breathing a sigh of relief as their beloved Otis is alive and seemingly well.
“REJOICE!! KING OTIS HAS RETURNED!” Explore.org, which maintains live camera feeds on the river, exclaimed Wednesday after Otis appeared on camera for the first time since last fall.
Otis is an older bear and arguably the most famous brown bear on the planet, a four-time Fat Bear Week champion, known for his fishing exploits at his favorite spot, “the office” at Brooks Falls.
Because of his age – late 20s, well past normal longevity – and his tardiness this summer, fans had become concerned about his well-being.
But on Wednesday, Otis, looking a bit scraggly after what appears to have been a marathon hibernation, was spotted fishing (and catching) as though it were just another day.
“My kind of bear… sleeps late, keeps everyone guessing, makes a grand entrance,” reads a comment beneath a Katmai National Park – Brooks Falls Facebook post.
The Brooks River is in Katmai National Park. Brown bears arrive on the river when sockeye salmon begin running upstream in late June.
Most of the popular bruins, including reigning Fat Bear Week champion Bear 747, aka Bear Force One, have been spotted routinely during the past several weeks.
Some have new cubs, born during hibernation. Larger bears have battled over fishing rights. Bear antics have been showcased daily on camera feeds watched by thousands.
But for many, thoughts were on Otis. Was this going to be the year he did not make it back to the river? Would he be seen again?
Now Otis aficionados are already taking about his chances of claiming a fifth Fat Bear Week title.
“He looked worse two years ago and won fat bear,” one commenter correctly observed.
Stated another: “Since he’s very old, just the fact he’s back is fantastic! Give him time. He’s a zen master when fishing. Expending as little energy possible and reaping the benefits.”
Fat Bear Week, a fan-driven competition held each October, is billed as a celebration of the bears’ success in fattening up in preparation for another long, harsh winter.
With the fishing season underway for brown bears on Alaska’s Brooks River, the National Park Service has provided a humorous description of the catching techniques.
An Alaskan brown bear named Grazer was caught on a live-cam feed recently catching a salmon that had attempted to leap over the lip of Brooks Falls.
“The crowd goes wild! Grazer lands the very first Brooks Falls lip catch of the season,” Explore.org stated via Twitter.
To be sure, bears on the Brooks River in Katmai National Park are masters at fishing, and each seems to favor certain areas and techniques.
The crowd goes wild! Grazer lands the very first Brooks Falls lip catch of the season. pic.twitter.com/74rcfgpJNP
With the season getting underway – fans can watch the bears on Explore’s live feeds – the National Park Service has described the techniques via Facebook under the heading:
“How do you catch a fish without a fishing pole? With your bear hands.”
Viewers can click on the post or view the humorous explanations below:
–The Stand and Wait: Bears stand on top the falls and wait for salmon to jump close enough to catch. Bears sometimes slip on the falls (usually when someone is looking) so they rarely shift position. Sometimes they misjudge and the fish hits the bear in the face. (Insert own metaphor for life).
–The Sit and Wait: Similar to the first one but sitting. Bears sit underneath Brooks Falls in the plunge pool or “jacuzzi,” and wait for salmon to swim to them.”
–The Dash and Grab: Bears chase the fish and attempt to pin them to the river bottom with their paws. Fast-food on the go!
–The Snorkeler: Bears look for fish under the water while seeing who can make the most bubbles.
–The Diver: Some bears avoid getting their ears wet, so diving is not for every bear. However there are some that will submerge themselves completely underwater to obtain food resources. You do what you got to do.
–The Pirate: Arrgggg! It’s Cap’n Bruin Brownbeard the Hungry! Pirating bears plunder already caught fish from other bears. Keep an eye on the horizon. Avast ye scurvy bear! I’ve come for the fishes!
–The Sharer: Bears do not usually share food with others (bearing is NOT sharing), but some will share the spoils. (Not the Cap’n) This interaction occurs between bears that are highly tolerant of each other. BFFs (bear fish friends!)
– The Belly Flop: A big splash requires big bear air, as the bear springs up out of the water or launches off the side to take a fish by surprise. This can be extremely successful or, well, a flop.”
The top image, highlighting the belly flop, was captured by M. Bradburn for the National Park Service.
Brown bears at Brooks Falls are famous because of live-cam feeds that allow followers to observe the animals as they fish for sockeye salmon and pack thousands of calories per day.
(Bears that weigh between 700 and 900 pounds in mid-summer can weigh more than 1,200 pounds by early fall.)
Fat Bear Week, held in October, allows fans to vote for their favorite bears in a bracket-style competition. Last year’s winner was Bear 747, a.k.a. Bear Force One, who weighed an estimated 1,400 pounds.
“Walker remained a tolerant and playful bear during his young adult years. He allowed other bears to approach him, and he sought sparring partners for prolonged play fights. However, his priorities have changed as he matured into a fully grown adult.
“With his large body size and assertive disposition, Walker is one the river’s most dominant bears.”
Some background on Bear 856:
“Bear 856 was classified as a young adult in 2006. At the time he had a relatively small body compared to older adults. By his tenth or eleventh year of life, however, he became one of the biggest bears at the river with an assertive disposition equal to his size.”
Fat Bear Week is billed as “a celebration of success” for all of the region’s bears after another bountiful feeding season.
What lengths did voters go to for their favored bear?
As the saying goes, nothing gold can stay. After an exciting week of voting, bear pictures, and unprecedented scandal, Fat Bear Week 2022 has ended. From Oct. 5-11, bear enthusiasts across social media cast their votes for the burliest bears at Katmai National Park and Preserve. While the competition offered its usual lighthearted fun, it also faced a surprising case of ballot stuffing. Here’s the lowdown on all the major details.
“Like bears stuff their face with fish, our ballot box, too, has been stuffed,” Katmai National Park tweeted on Oct. 9. In a follow-up tweet, the park added, “It appears someone has decided to spam the Fat Bear Week poll, but fortunately it is easy for us to tell which votes are fraudulent.”
The Fat Bear Week 2022 winner
After weeding out the spam votes, Katmai National Park announced the day’s totals — 37,940 votes for bear 747 and 30,430 for bear 435. On the 10th, the second semi-final decided which bear would face off against 747 in the final round. With 44,237 votes, bear 901 beat out bear 128 Grazer. With the last semi-final settled, only one match-up remained. On Oct. 11, bear 747 faced off against bear 901. The result? A decisive win for 747. Though 901 earned 56,876 votes, 747 came out on top with 68,105 votes. The win marks 747’s second championship title, following a first win in 2020.
“The votes are in- you’ve decided to upgrade to fish class & fly w/ 747!” the Katmai National Park tweeted on Oct. 11. “747 was deemed an order of magnitude more massive than 901, who experienced troubling tummy turbulence enroute.” Still, the park wrote, “901 made a strong start in her 1st #FatBearWeek appearance. Expect big things in the future!”
Relive the thrills of this year’s competition by checking out the bracket details here. You can also watch this fascinating Fat Bear Week recap video featuring commentary from Katmai National Park rangers and naturalist Mike Fitz.
Images courtesy of Katmai National Park and Preserve
Are you ready for the most delightful wildlife holiday of the year? After months of anticipation, Fat Bear Week 2022 has finally arrived. Hosted by Katmai National Park and Preserve, the event invites people worldwide to explore a “March-Madness style bracket” of the park’s fattest bears. You can even get involved by voting for the season’s beefiest bears. Voting opened today, Oct. 5, and closes on Tuesday, Oct. 11. Tune in for a live chat on the 11th (also known as Fat Bear Tuesday) to see which bear won the battle of the fattest.
As a news release from the park explained, “this game isn’t about keeping your eye on the ball, but rather keeping all the senses alert for the jumping salmon. Their competition isn’t about putting points on the board, but putting pounds on their weight. There are no such things as lightweights for the bears of Brooks River; doubling body weights in a matter of months is just par for the course around here.”
In July, excitement for Fat Bear Week grew as audiences tuned in to Explore.org’s live Katmai National Park bear cam. Sockeye salmon began their summer migration, and hungry bears waded into the water to feast on the fish. As the bears continue feasting this week, the live cam remains open for curious viewers. Pull up the livestream and cheer on those grizzly animals as they prepare for winter.
Katmai National Park’s Fat Bear Junior competition concluded at the end of September. This smaller event began in 2021 and focuses on younger bears. The adorably rotund 132’s spring cub won the 2021 Fat Bear Junior competition, and 909’s yearling won for 2022.
Keep your eye on this week’s competition by learning more via Katmai National Park’s Fat Bear Week hub. And don’t forget to visit Explore.org to vote for the fattest bear.
