Brown bear 32 Chunk has been crowned the winner of Fat Bear Week 2025, securing nearly 100,000 votes in what organisers called the 'biggest Fat Bear Week yet'. The annual competition, held at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, pits wild bears against each other based on their weight gain before winter hibernation.
Chunk, described as 'the most dominant brown bear on the river', triumphed despite suffering from a broken jaw for most of the season. The injury, believed to have been sustained during a fight with another male over a female, left him unable to engage in direct confrontations. Yet he managed to eat huge quantities of salmon and gain significant weight, earning 96,350 votes compared to runner-up Bear 856's 63,725 votes.
Park ranger Ashleigh Monaco said during a livestream: 'A fat bear means a successful bear. A fat bear means that bear is more likely to survive hibernation.' Chunk dethroned two-time champion 128 Grazer, a female bear who had held the title since 2023. This year's competition attracted more than 1.5 million public votes, a record for the event which began in 2014.
Chunk's victory was notable given his role as a 'villain' in previous years. In 2024, he killed 128 Grazer's young cub, captured on live cameras, and lost to her in the fat bear competition by over 40,000 votes. This year, however, his perseverance won over the public. Despite his broken jaw, which park officials expected to be permanent, Chunk 'gained girth beyond what anybody could have imagined', according to voter Naomi Boak.
Chunk's weight was estimated at 1,200 pounds using Lidar laser technology. Meanwhile, 128 Grazer's current cub, 128 Jr, won the fattest bear cub category, making them the 'royal family' of the park, Monaco said. Naturalist Mike Fitz reminded viewers: 'No matter who wins Fat Bear Week, each bear was fully committed to the effort. They needed to get fat to find success.'
