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Katmai National Park

All articles tagged with #katmai national park

wildlife8 days ago•5 min saved

Backpack Wins 2026 Fat Bear Week After Record-Breaking Vote Surge

Brown bear 89, nicknamed 'Backpack,' won the 12th annual Fat Bear Week competition at Katmai National Park in Alaska, defeating female bear 910 by approximately 5,091 votes. The event, which celebrates bears gaining weight before hibernation, saw record participation with over 2.5 million votes cast globally. Backpack, a 20-year-old male and son of 2019 champion Holly, is estimated to weigh 1,200 pounds. The competition, run by Katmai National Park and explore.org, highlights the bears' resilience and preparation for winter, with all participants considered winners for their survival readiness.

via USA Today|

#alaska #brown-bears #fat-bear-week

nature9 days ago

Backpack Claims 2026 Fat Bear Week Crown in Narrow Katmai Vote

Brown bear 89, nicknamed 'Backpack,' won the 12th annual Fat Bear Week competition at Alaska’s Katmai National Park, defeating female bear 910 by approximately 5,000 votes. The contest, which celebrates bears gaining weight before hibernation, drew over 2.3 million global votes. Backpack, a 20-year-old male and son of 2019 champion Holly, is estimated to weigh 1,200 pounds. The event highlights the bears' resilience and preparation for winter, with all participants considered winners for their survival readiness.

via The Guardian|

#alaska #brown-bears #fat-bear-week

nature9 days ago•1 min saved

Backpack Claims 2026 Fat Bear Week Crown in Close Race Against 910

Brown bear 89, known as Backpack, won the 2026 Fat Bear Week competition at Katmai National Park in Alaska, defeating female bear 910 by approximately 5,000 votes. The event, which celebrates bears gaining weight before hibernation, saw record participation with over 2.3 million votes cast globally. Backpack, a 20-year-old male who previously suffered a severe leg injury, is the son of 2019 champion Holly. The competition, run by Katmai National Park and explore.org, highlights the bears' resilience and preparation for winter, with all participants considered winners for their survival readiness.

via CBS News|

#alaska #brown-bears #fat-bear-week

nature9 days ago•414 min saved

Backpack Wins 12th Annual Fat Bear Week in Narrow Final

Brown bear 89, nicknamed 'Backpack,' won the 12th annual Fat Bear Week competition at Alaska’s Katmai National Park. He defeated female bear 910 by a narrow margin of approximately 5,000 votes in a final round that drew over 200,000 ballots. The event, which celebrates bears gaining weight before winter hibernation, saw record participation with more than 2.3 million total votes cast globally.

via NBC News|

#alaska #brown-bears #conservation

wildlife9 days ago•2 min saved

Backpack claims 2026 Fat Bear Week title in narrow vote

Brown bear 89, known as 'Backpack,' won the 12th annual Fat Bear Week competition in Alaska’s Katmai National Park. He defeated female bear 910 in a close final round, securing over 100,000 votes. The event highlights the bears’ preparation for hibernation and supports conservation efforts for the region’s 2,200 brown bears.

via Al Jazeera|

#alaska #brown-bears #conservation

wildlife9 days ago•1 min saved

Backpack Wins 2026 Fat Bear Week After Record-Breaking Online Vote

Brown bear 89, nicknamed 'Backpack,' won the 2026 Fat Bear Week competition at Katmai National Park in Alaska, defeating female bear 910 by approximately 5,000 votes. The event, which celebrates bears gaining weight before hibernation, saw record participation with over 2.3 million votes cast globally. Backpack, a 20-year-old male who previously suffered a severe leg injury, is the son of 2019 champion Holly. The competition, run by Katmai National Park and explore.org, highlights the bears' resilience and preparation for winter, with all participants considered winners for their survival readiness.

via Alaska Public Media|

#alaska #brown-bears #fat-bear-week

nature15 days ago•2 min saved

Fat Bear Week 2026 Introduces Family Units Amid Record Turnout and Controversial Incidents

Fat Bear Week 2026 has launched with a historic twist: for the first time, entire bear families compete as single units in the bracket-style tournament. The event, running from September 22 to 29, features 16 contenders, including five mother-cub groups and 11 solo adults. The competition has drawn massive global attention, with the first day of voting causing technical delays due to unprecedented traffic. While the event serves as a fundraiser for the Katmai Conservancy, the season has also been marked by tragic wildlife incidents, including a rare case of infanticide captured on live cameras.

via Alaska Public Media|

#alaska #brown-bears #exploreorg

science17 days ago•392 min saved

Chunk Targets a Back-to-Back Fat Bear Week Title as Online Voting Opens

Online voting opened for Fat Bear Week at Katmai National Park, where 1,200-pound Chunk (Bear 32) seeks to defend his crown in a 16-bear bracket; fans vote based on before-and-after photos and backstories rather than official weights, as the bears fatten on sockeye salmon in summer before winter hibernation, with the winner crowned on Sept. 29.

via NBC News|

#brooks-falls #chunk-bear-32 #fat-bear-week

science17 days ago•5 min saved

Chunk Returns to Defend His Fat Bear Week Crown in 2026, Featuring 16 Contenders

Fat Bear Week 2026 at Katmai National Park in Alaska features 16 contenders, including defending champion Chunk. From Sept. 22–29, fans vote daily online to decide the winner, with Explore.org livestreams showing bears at Brooks Falls; park officials note the bears have reached peak fat after a salmon-rich summer and that a growing cub population is shaping the competition.

via CBS News|

#chunk #exploreorg #fat-bear-week-2026

environment18 days ago•4 min saved

Katmai's Hefty Contenders Vie for Fat Bear Week Crown

Fat Bear Week returns to Katmai National Park, spotlighting 16 chubby brown bears that fatten up on salmon ahead of winter. Through online voting, fans compare 'before and after' photos to crown the heaviest bear, with mothers balancing cubs and survival as key themes. The event, which began in 2014, has grown into a global spectacle with millions of voters.

via Alaska Public Media|

#brown-bears #environment #fat-bear-week

lifestyle18 days ago•22 min saved

Fat Bear Week returns: meet the contenders and cast your vote

Fat Bear Week, a bracket-style competition at Katmai National Park in Alaska, kicks off with 16 brown bear contenders; voting runs Sept. 22–29 to crown the fattest bear, based on before/after photos from spring to fall. Last year’s champion was 32 Chunk, weighing over 1,200 pounds. The event originated as a ranger-led Facebook poll and has become a global online sensation, with donations to Katmai Conservancy’s Otis Fund, and live streams via explore.org encouraging support.

via New York Post|

#alaska #animals #fat-bear-week

nature20 days ago•6 min saved

Katmai's Fat Bear Week 2026 Bracket Unveiled: Meet the Contenders

Katmai National Park revealed the Fat Bear Week 2026 bracket on Sept. 18, kicking off the 12th edition slated for Sept. 22–29 (no voting Sept. 26–27). The online, single-elimination tournament features a diverse mix of bears at Brooks River—adult females, subadults and males—battling in head-to-head matchups, with fans voting to crown the fattest bear before winter; notable contenders include 32 Chunk (2025 champion), 164 Bucky Dent, and 151 Walker.

via USA Today|

#brooks-river #brown-bears #fat-bear-week

nature1 year ago•2 min saved

Chunk Crowned 2025 Fat Bear Week Champion in Alaska

'32 Chunk' was crowned the 2025 Fat Bear Week champion at Alaska's Brooks River, winning a week-long voting contest with over 96,000 votes, recognized for his impressive size and resilience despite injuries, exemplifying success in brown bears.

via NBC News|

#32-chunk #alaska #brown-bears

environment1 year ago•4 min saved

Chunk Crowned Fat Bear Week Champion in Record-Breaking Year

32 Chunk, a dominant brown bear with a broken jaw, won Katmai National Park's Fat Bear Week, marking the biggest contest yet with over 1.5 million votes, highlighting the bears' survival strategies and ecosystem importance.

via The Guardian|

#alaska #bear-competition #environment

nature1 year ago•2 min saved

Injured Chunk Wins Alaska's 2025 Fat Bear Week

Chunk, a resilient bear with a broken jaw, has been crowned the 2025 Fat Bear Week champion at Katmai National Park, winning with over 96,000 votes in a record-breaking online competition that drew more than 1.6 million votes worldwide.

via Alaska Public Media|

#bear-conservation #chunk #fat-bear-week