Fat Bear Week

Fat Bear Week is an annual celebration of the biggest brown bears in Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, but climate change threatens these fat ...

This annual, weeklong competition from Katmai National Park and Preserve is a celebration of a summer's worth of hard work, a hat tip to a healthy ecosystem and ...

The 12 heavyweights have been in training for the big event since emerging from hibernation, foraging on all the salmon and other food nature provides at ...

Look, normally in this space in the a.m., I'd have to talk about Hockey Canada's chair pulling a “Not All Men!” act in front of the Canadian parliament.

KATMAI NATIONAL PARK, Alaska - It's that time of year again – bears are preparing for hibernation, and the public gets to judge a chosen sleuth of bears who ...

Katmai National Park in Alaska begins to track the weight gain of its largest bears in later Summer, as they prepare for hibernation. Gorging on fish, berries, ...

901 really put her money where he mouth is and gorged on a stunning amount of fish to get ready for the contest, and In the span of three months 901 went from looking like a pretty standard bear, to a tank. [voting for bears until one is named the Fat Bear Week champion](https://explore.org/fat-bear-week).

Internet users have built an annual tradition around returning to the live cams to spend a day — or more — with the bears at Alaska's Katmai National Park and ...

While he’s thrilled to watch viewers fall in love with the bears at Katmai, Fitz said he also hopes fans remember to appreciate the importance of the surrounding ecosystem that enables them to thrive. Still, the bears at Katmai have been lucky, said the founder of Fat Bear Week, Mike Fitz, the resident naturalist at Explore.org. “Our brown bears in Katmai National Park are pretty charismatic,” said Guy Runco, the executive director of the Katmai Conservancy. The water temperature at Brooks River has been survivable so far, Fitz said, even as salmon runs nearby have collapsed in recent years. But those who shine on camera, Runco said, are naturally more likely to make the cut. As new and familiar faces alike emerge from hibernation every summer to feast up for the coming winter, the ways they find food, raise offspring and survive injuries all tell unique stories of resilience.

Get full access to Outside Learn, our online education hub featuring in-depth fitness, nutrition, and adventure courses and more than 2,000 instructional ...

I am a big fan of the mother/daughter team of Holly and 335, but I think it is time for 335 to step out from her champion mother’s shadow and claim the title on her own. This bear knows the game, and has been watching the young-guns and taking notes on their mistakes. He stands at the edge of the deepest plunge pool at the base of Brooks Falls, and nabs the salmon as they well up from the water, jumping and falling back down in an attempt to make headway upstream. Sure, he’s a bit older now than the average Fat Bear, however he’s got tenacity and passion to climb to the top this year. This mama bear is wise, experienced, and will do anything to give her future cubs the best shot at life, which is why I’ll be cheering her on this week. Considering his growth as a dominant bear from 2006 to 2022, 856 has been perfecting his skills as an assertive angler and forager. That’s exactly what 435 Holly is—the 2019 Fat Bear Week Champ has reared several litters of cubs over the years, even adopting a lone yearling in 2014 and raising it as her own. Sure, this old grizz has some battle scars, even as the king of the river year after year, but 747 is a fighter: He won Fat Bear Week in 2020, and anyone who thrived that year is naturally unstoppable. [cubs are all out in the world on their own](https://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/news/fat-bear-junior-contest-will-kick-off-fat-bear-week/), allowing her some much-needed free time. [explore.org’s annual celebration](https://explore.org/fat-bear-week) of the pre-hibernation salmon buffet at [Katmai National Park](https://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/news/tourists-who-took-selfies-with-katmai-bears-sentenced-to-fines-prison-time/)’s Brooks Falls. But here in 2022, I’ll be cheering on this absolute unit as he tips the scales and is crowned Fattest Bear once again. [This year’s lineup](https://explore.org/meet-the-bears) includes old favorites, and some newcomers ready to stake their claim at the falls.

Fat Bear Week is officially back. This year's chunks include defending champ Otis — and a mother bear named Holly, known for adopting orphaned cubs.

[https://www.npr.org](https://www.npr.org). Then there's 747 — who doesn't need a nickname because his number and size both echo the famous jumbo jet. The contest highlights the amazing transformation bears must make after they emerge from hibernation, emaciated and hungry. [in a video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caElTmCqM6Q&t=1379s). [Explore.org](https://explore.org/meet-the-bears). [Katmai website](https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/photosmultimedia/brown-bear-frequently-asked-questions.htm#13). ET, running from Oct. 5 through Oct. [placed into a bracket](https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/fat-bear-week-2022.htm), where voters decide who should advance from each matchup. [webcams in the park](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mphg2feuAPo), watching as they try to extract sockeye salmon from rapids and waterfalls along the Brooks River. [defending champ, Otis](https://www.npr.org/2021/10/06/1043647458/fat-bear-week-champion-480-otis), also won the first Fat Bear contest eight years ago. [well-grounded](https://www.npr.org/2021/09/30/1041674219/fat-bear-week-2021) and devoid of hypocrisy.

Alaskan bears stuffing themselves for the winter have gained a loving audience around the world.

The winner of Fat Bear Week 2022 remains to be seen. In November, the bears start heading towards their dens where they will hibernate for six months. "He's the most patient bear that I have ever seen." Bears emerge from their hibernation in the summer months weary and thin. But Bear 747, winner of Fat Bear Week 2020, might give Otis a run for his money. For Alaskan bears, it means eating a jaw-dropping 500lb (225 kg) of fresh salmon.