This is the most wonderful time of the year for the brown bears of Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. They’re feasting on fish and packing on the pounds in preparation for winter. It’s also a time of celebration for the human fans of these fluffy and buff bruins. Fat Bear Week is coming in October. Here’s how to prepare before the fur flies.
What is Fat Bear Week?
Fat Bear Week has been around since 2014. Much like March Madness with NCAA basketball, Fat Bear Week has a much-hyped bracket reveal on Sept. 30 when we officially meet the 12 corpulent contestants. These magnificent bears are the chonkiest of the chonky. They rule the river in Katmai and have earned their place in the competition by building up layers of fabulous fat.
Fat Bear Week is about body positivity for bears, but it’s also about highlighting the challenges wildlife face and what it takes to make it as a bear in Alaska. “During hibernation, bears do not eat or drink and lose one-third of their body weight,” Explore.org said. “Their winter survival depends on accumulating ample fat reserves before entering the den.” Explore.org offers nature livestreams and partners with Katmai and the National Park Service to run the competition. The tournament brings recognition to the park and the interconnectedness of the land with the fish and mammals that call it home.
Katmai’s brown bears are some of the biggest in the world. Adult males can top 1,200 pounds as they prepare for winter. The bears themselves aren’t aware of the competition. They’re just busy stuffing their faces with salmon along the Brooks River. Humans, however, get to learn about the contestants, choose favorites and vote in multiple rounds of the contest until a supreme bear is crowned. It’s a single-elimination tournament. The winning bear from each matchup moves on until the final decides the overall champion.
When is Fat Bear Week?
Fat Bear Week voting takes place from Oct. 2 to Oct. 8, but there are some preceding festivities to watch out for. The bracket reveal on Sept. 30 gives you a chance to meet the bears and choose your favorites. Fat Bear Junior is a smaller two-day tournament that starts on Sept. 26. This competition for “chubby cubbies” lets voters warm up for the big contest by choosing the chunkiest young bear. The winner of Fat Bear Junior gets to go up against the big bears in the main competition.
How can I participate in Fat Bear Week?
Visit the Fat Bear Week site during the competition to vote in the daily matchups. NPS and Explore.org encourage participants to share their ursine love over social media. You’re allowed to vote by whatever criteria you choose. Perhaps you like a bear’s backstory or you want to root for the under-bear. Maybe you’re voting for the most absolute unit of absolute units. You decide.
When you’re not voting, tune into the Explore.org livecams to check in on the Katmai bears and watch them fish, feast, nap and interact along the river. Multiple cameras cover various spots, including scenic Brooks Falls. There’s an underwater salmon cam where you can look for fish. Katmai rangers and scientists with Explore.org typically host online chats to talk about the bears, so check the website for scheduling.
Who won Fat Bear Week last year?
All hail 128 Grazer, the reigning Fat Bear Week champion from 2023. Grazer absolutely bulldozed challenger 32 Chunk in the final round of voting. Chunk had an impressive belly, but Grazer demonstrated peak fat-bear performance with her overall heft. It was an epic year with nearly 1.4 million votes cast during the competition. Fat Bear Week 2024 could be even more popular. Will Grazer return to defend her crown? Get ready for the battle of the bulging bears. Every fat bear is a winner, but there’s only one Fat Bear Week champ.
