Daniel Wolfram
The Fat Bear Week had a controversial ending.
Happy Fat Bear Week! A week where people all over the world get to vote for their favorite fat brown bear in North America.
The contest has become an annual event where people tune in to livestreams in Alaska to watch and vote for their favorite Fat Bear.
The brown bears reside in Katmai National Park, and after a dramatic finish, they have now found a winner.
A heavy and tight battle
Thousands of fans watched the final showdown in a contest the US National Park Service called a “battle of size, skill, snack acquisition, and strategic loafing.”
The crown went to a massive brown bear named 89 Backpack. He narrowly defeated his main rival, Bear 910, winning by only 5,000 votes in the final round.
Sixteen bears involuntarily took part in the thirteenth edition of the competition. Backpack the brown bear will now enter hibernation, resting for up to six months.
Winning runs in his bloodline. His mother, Holly, took the title in 2019. Backpack earned his name as a cub by riding on Holly’s back while she caught fish in a river.
Fans disagree
Supporters cheered for both finalists. One fan praised Backpack for his “chonk and the badonk,” while another called him a “big fuzzy boy.” Park officials noted that his “quiet toughness has allowed him to find his niche alongside the biggest bears at Brooks River.”
Even so, the result sparked debate. Fans of Bear 910 pointed out that the female raised both her biological cub and an adopted niece this year.
According to the BBC, one commenter claimed 910 was “a larger bear all around. Backpack just has a bigger booty.” Another fan posted, “she round, she thick my girl 910 got my vote.”
Entering hibernation
Mass is critical for these animals. Male brown bears average up to 408 kg in summer and add another 25% by autumn. The largest bears will end up weighing around 540 kg.
Organizers noted that “during hibernation, bears do not eat or drink and lose one-third of their body weight. Their winter survival depends on accumulating ample fat reserves before entering the den.”
The annual contest is immensely popular. Last year, fans cast over 1.7 million votes across 100 countries to pick the champion.
