Mongabay · Climate & nature

Fat Bear Week: Alaska's Heaviest Bears Compete for Crown

Alaska's annual Fat Bear Week contest has begun, with brown bears from Katmai National Park and Preserve vying for the title of the most oversized ursine after a summer of salmon feasting.

The competition, now in its 12th year, features 16 bears in a single-elimination bracket. Last year's champion, Chunk (Bear 32), estimated at 1,200 pounds, is competing again against rivals like Gully (Bear 903).

Fat Bear Week celebrates the resilience of the park's 2,200 brown bears. The event, started in 2014, aims to educate the public about these coastal brown bears, which are cousins to grizzlies.

Bears gorge on sockeye salmon returning to the Brooks River from late June to accumulate fat reserves for winter. Online voting is open at www.fatbearweek.org, with the winner announced on September 29. Livestream cameras from explore.org allow the public to observe the bears.

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