Katmai National Park and Preserve in southern Alaska is gearing up for its annual Fat Bear Week, an online competition where the public votes for the park's fattest brown bear. The event kicks off on 23 September and runs until 30 September, with voting open daily from 12pm to 9pm Eastern Time.
The single-elimination tournament pits two bears against each other in each round, with the bear receiving the most votes advancing. The bracket will be revealed on Monday, and only one bear will be crowned champion. Last year's winner was brown bear 128 Grazer, who claimed the title for the second consecutive year, defeating a male bear that had killed her cub.
According to Katmai Superintendent Mark Sturm, the competition highlights the importance of salmon runs for the park's ecosystem and brown bears. 'Fat Bear Week enables people from around the world to actively engage in learning about bears while cheering for their favorite competitor,' he said.
Some of the largest brown bears on Earth reside along the Brooks River in Katmai, returning in mid- to late June and staying until late October. The bears bulk up in preparation for winter hibernation, during which they do not eat or drink for months and can lose up to a third of their body weight.
Voters select their preferred bear by clicking its photo online and confirming via email, with one vote allowed per email address. The competition, which began in 2014, saw over a million votes cast from 100 countries in 2024.
