Alaska’s iconic Fat Bear Week reaches its climax this week as the final bracket pits two heavyweight brown bears against each other for the title of the park’s fattest resident. Bear 910, a daughter of former champion 409 Beadnose, will face Backpack, the son of 2014 champion Holly, in a live‑streamed vote that closes Tuesday evening.
How the contest works
Since its launch in 2014, Fat Bear Week has used an online poll to celebrate the resilience of the roughly 2,200 brown bears that roam the Brooks River area of Katmai National Park and Preserve. The event runs as a single‑elimination bracket, with 16 bears selected for their impressive midsummer weight gains. Voters cast their choices at fatbearweek.org, and the results are announced after the final poll closes.
Meet the finalists
Backpack (Bear 89) earned his nickname by climbing onto his mother’s back while swimming the river as a cub in 2006. He is the son of former champion Holly, who won the contest in 2014. Backpack’s profile notes his gentle demeanor, saying he “has not shown much aggression toward his competitors.”
Bear 910 is a daughter of champion 409 Beadnose. Her profile highlights a distinctive habit of frequent head lifts, a trait that helps observers identify her on the livestream. She advanced to the final after defeating Bear 132 and her three spring cubs in the semifinals.
Why the bears get so big
Adult male brown bears typically weigh 600–900 pounds (270–410 kg) in midsummer. By the time they are ready to hibernate, after feasting on the abundant salmon that return to the Brooks River each June, large males can exceed 1,000 pounds (454 kg). Females are roughly one‑third smaller. During the feeding season, a bear may consume up to 30 fish per day, trying to store enough fat to survive a six‑month winter without food or water, during which they can lose about one‑third of their body weight.
Family ties and competition
This year’s lineup included five bear families, reflecting a record number of families and cubs at the river. Mother bears must balance protecting their cubs with eating enough to build winter reserves, while cubs face the risk of territorial attacks from other bears.
Bear 132, a seasoned mother, advanced to the semifinals with her three spring cubs before falling to Bear 910. Her story underscores the importance of family dynamics in the competition.
What’s at stake
Beyond the novelty of crowning the fattest bear, Fat Bear Week serves an educational purpose. The nonprofit organization behind the event uses the contest to raise awareness about brown bear ecology, the critical role of salmon runs, and the challenges bears face during hibernation. Viewers can watch the bears on explore.org’s livestream cameras before casting their votes.
The final vote will determine whether Bear 910 or Backpack joins the roll‑call of past champions, which includes last year’s winner Chunk (Bear 32), who weighed an estimated 1,200 pounds before being eliminated in the first round.
Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.
