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Fat Bear Week

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Fat Bear Week
Poster with a picture of a fat bear and the words "Fattest Bear 2018: 409 Beadnose"
Announcement of the 2018 Fat Bear Week winner, Beadnose
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s)Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska, United States
Years active2014 - present
Inaugurated2014 (2014)
Most recentOctober 2-8, 2024
Participants1.3 million (2023)
Websitehttps://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/fat-bear-week-2024.htm

Fat Bear Week is an annual event held in October by Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, commemorating the seasonal preparations made by Alaska peninsula brown bears inhabiting Katmai as they ready themselves for their winter hibernation.[1][2] The competition is organized by the National Park Service and Explore.org. Spectators from around the world are invited to cast online votes to determine the bear that has most effectively accumulated fat reserves. In 2023, Associated Press called the competition "Alaska’s most-watched popularity contest".[3]

The event highlights the hyperphagia of bears preparing for hibernation. During the summer and autumn months, bears often exceed 1,000 pounds, when they feed on salmon in anticipation of their extended hibernation period.[4] Bears can lose up to a third of their body weight during hibernation, as they cannot eat or drink until they emerge in the spring.[5] The goal of Fat Bear Week is to promote bear conservation, cultivate an interest in wildlife, and encourage positive human-nature interactions.[4]

Background

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Katmai National Park and Reserve is dedicated to conservation and recreation, spanning 16,552 square kilometers (6,391 square miles) in the southwestern region of Alaska. This area features many lakes, several volcanoes, and rivers with a large population of red salmon. It is home to a large range of species of wildlife, including the Alaska brown bear.[6] It serves as the backdrop for the annual Fat Bear Week competition. The national park is home to approximately 2,200 Alaska peninsula brown bears.[1][2] Live webcams are placed at Brooks Falls and along the Brooks River, allowing the public to view the bears.[4]

Throughout the summer and fall, the brown bears of Katmai National Park consume large quantities of food, primarily sockeye salmon found in the park's rivers.[7] This behaviour, known as hyperphagia, allows them to accumulate the fat reserves needed to survive months of hibernation, which typically begins in November. In particular, adult male bears can gain up to 500 pounds (230 kg) or more.[8] By the time hibernation starts in October and November, males may weigh up to 1,200 pounds (540 kg).[8]

These bears are known to consume as much as 120 pounds (54 kg) of salmon in a single day, sometimes catching as many as 30 fish daily.[9] Fish can help them gain up to 4 pounds a day, throughout the entirety of the season.[citation needed]

In addition to simple survival, fat reserves are also needed for pregnant bears; success of pregnancies is related to the adequate accumulation of fat reserves during the autumn months,[10] which give the mothers sufficient energy stores to nurture their cubs through the winter.[11]

Conservation efforts

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The competition is intended to raise awareness,[12] help generate interest in conservation,[8] and allow people to engage with wildlife via the webcams.[13] Rangers associated with Fat Bear Week have also cited a desire to increase accessibility to the otherwise remote Katmai National Park.[14] Evidence of this positive interaction with wildlife can be seen in the fan groups and pages started on social media groups. One such group even began a charity bracket event organized by Fat Bear fans. The money raised from the buy in was donated to a charity chosen by the bracket winner. One such charity was the Katmai Conservancy.[15]

History

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Fat Bear Week was founded as Fat Bear Tuesday by former park ranger Mike Fitz in 2014.[1][16] He came up with the idea after noting the interest in online livestreams of the bears feeding at the river. Visitors to the national park were asked to review before and after photos of a number of the park's bears and to vote for the fattest bear in a single-elimination tournament. In 2015, the tournament was first hosted online, and was extended to a week.[17]

In 2021, the Fat Bear Junior bracket was introduced.[18] This separate competition features young bear cubs, which can go on to contend with adult bears in the main bracket.

2022 voter fraud

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During the semi-finals of the 2022 event, Bear 435, known as Holly, initially appeared to defeat Bear 747. An investigation by park officials found that Holly had received 9,000 votes in a short span of time. After fake votes were discarded, Bear 747 was determined the winner with 37,940 votes, while Bear 435 received 30,430 votes.[19]

2023 hiker rescue

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One of the webcams used during Fat Bear Week aided in the rescue of a hiker on September 5, 2023; at 3:15 p.m. a visibly cold and soaked hiker appeared in the webcam frame on Dumpling Mountain seeking help. After viewers notified authorities, park rangers found the hiker near the camera at approximately 6:48 p.m.[20]

2024 bear attack

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During the opening week of the 2024 event, Bear 469, a male known as Patches, attacked a female, Bear 402, resulting in her death. This was witnessed live on the cameras in Katmai National Park. Park officials delayed the opening day of Fat Bear Week to host a live Q&A.[21] Katmai Park ranger Sarah Bruce noted the event was unusual; “It’s an uncommon thing to see a bear predating on another bear, but it’s not completely out of the question. So it’s hard to say how this started."[22] Bear 469 had previously been seen guarding the remains of another bear in 2012.[23]

Tournament

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Fat Bear Week takes place every October. The event is organized by the National Park Service and Explore.org, and anyone can participate by voting online for their preferred bear.[24]

Qualification criteria

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In order to qualify for Fat Bear Week, brown bears of the Katmai National Park must have been spotted catching sockeye salmon at the Brooks River.[24] A 1.5-mile (2.4 km) section of the river, which has webcams, is used to choose eligible bears. Bears must be seen not just in the fall but also in the summer season as well.[25]

The subjective contest is a single-elimination tournament. Each day, two bears are presented in a match-up, identified by numbers. The bear with the most votes advances to the next round. In order to evaluate which bears have gained the most weight in preparation for hibernation, the public is able to view before and after photos of specific bears, watch them on livestream feeds, and read their biographies. The biographies include information on their feeding habits, personality traits, and physical features. The winner of the final match-up is named the tournament champion.[24]

Winners

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Two photos of a bear. It is skinny in the image labelled. It is fat in the image labelled.
Otis, winner in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2021
Two photos of a bear. It is skinny in the image labelled July 12, 2019. It is fat in the image labelled September 22, 2019.
Holly, winner in 2019
Two photos of a bear. It is skinny in the image labelled July 16, 2019. It is fat in the image labelled September 10, 2019.
Bear #747, winner in 2020 and 2022
Two photos of a bear. It is skinny in the image labelled July 10, 2019. It is fat in the image labelled September 21, 2019.
Grazer, winner in 2023
Year Bear # Nickname(s) Source
2014 480 Otis [26]
2015 409 Beadnose
2016 480 Otis
2017 480 Otis
2018 409 Beadnose
2019 435 Holly
2020 747
2021 480 Otis
2022 747
2023 128 Grazer [27]

Fat Bear Junior winners

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Year Bear
2021 132's spring cub
2022 909's yearling
2023 806's spring cub
Source: [18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Tumin, Remy (2022-10-06). "The Humble Origins of the 'Fattest Tournament on Earth'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  2. ^ a b Weisberger, Mindy (2020-09-30). "During Fat Bear Week, bears compete in a battle of the bulge". livescience.com. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
  3. ^ Thiessen, Mark (2023-10-12). "Don't mess with this mama bear: Grazer easily wins popular Fat Bear Contest at Alaska national park". AP News. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  4. ^ a b c "What is Fat Bear Week? Everything to know about the big, beefy event". Washington Post. 2022-10-03. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  5. ^ Street, Mailing Address: PO Box 7 1000 Silver; Salmon, Building 603 King; Us, AK 99613 Phone: 907 246-3305 Contact. "Fat Bear Week - Katmai National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Katmai National Park and Preserve. (2018). In Helicon (Ed.), The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide. Helicon. Retrieved November 13, 2023, from https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6NTUxMTEy?aid=104024 .
  7. ^ Ferrara, Jeanette (November 2020). "FEEDING FRENZY: Every fall, Alaskan brown bears pack on the pounds to prepare for hibernation". Scholastic DynaMath. 39 (3): 4–8 – via ebscohost.
  8. ^ a b c Cooper, Kelly-Leigh (2018-10-04). "Why a US national park is holding a 'Fat Bear Week' contest". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  9. ^ Tousignant, Marylou (2022-09-29). "For Fat Bear Week, pick your favorite for this year's chunky champ". Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  10. ^ "Everything You Want to Know About Katmai National Park's Fat Bears". Doi.gov. 2021-09-28. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019.
  11. ^ López-Alfaro, Claudia; Robbins, Charles T.; Zedrosser, Andreas; Nielsen, Scott E. (2013-12-01). "Energetics of hibernation and reproductive trade-offs in brown bears". Ecological Modelling. 270: 1–10. doi:10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2013.09.002. ISSN 0304-3800.
  12. ^ Diaz, Johnny (2020-10-03). "The Votes Cast, a Fat Bear Is Crowned". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  13. ^ Compton, Natalie (2022-01-12). "747 takes the Fat Bear Week 2022 crown". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  14. ^ Mock, Benjamin (2022-10-05). "Fat Bear Week: Nature's Hottest Esport Event". Jaxon. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  15. ^ Calma, Justine (2022-07-10). "Fat Bear Week stars inspire devoted fans both on and offline". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
  16. ^ "Alaska's Fat Bear Week proves conservation can be joyful". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  17. ^ Berger, Erin (2018-10-02). "The Glory of Otis, Fattest of the Fat Bears". Outside Online. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  18. ^ a b "Fat Bear Week". Katmai National Park and Preserve, U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  19. ^ Gabbatt, Adam (2022-10-11). "'Ballots have been stuffed': voting scandal rocks Alaska's fat bear contest". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-10-13.
  20. ^ Mayorquin, Orlando (2023-09-10). "Hiker Spotted on Bear Cam Rescued From Alaskan Wilderness". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  21. ^ "Death of a Bear and Fat Bear Week Bracket Postponed at Katmai National Park". National Park Service. September 30, 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  22. ^ Miller, Brittany (3 October 2024). "Fat Bear Week 2024 takes grisly turn as fatal bear fight is caught on camera". The Independent. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  23. ^ Vera, Kelby (2 October 2024). "Bear-On-Bear Murder Forces Fat Bear Week To Postpone". Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  24. ^ a b c Marcos, Coral Murphy (2022-10-07). "Fat Bear Week 2022: thousands tune in to plump for their favorite". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  25. ^ Tumin, Remy (Oct 9, 2022). "For the 'Insatiable' Contestants in Alaska's Fat Bear Week, Excess Means Success". The New York Times. pp. 2–3. Retrieved Feb 10, 2023.
  26. ^ "Fat Bear Week". Katmai National Park and Preserve, U.S. National Park Service. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  27. ^ "Grazer is third female winner of Fat Bear Week". BBC News. 2023-10-11. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
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