The annual Fat Bear Week contest at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska has begun, and excitement is in the air. People are invited to choose their favorite from twelve brown bears that have been preparing for winter by gaining weight. This year's contest, which celebrates the resilience of the park's 2,200 brown bears , marks the 10th anniversary of the event.
The bears in the park feast on an abundance of sockeye salmon as they prepare for hibernation. They often catch fish mid-air as the salmon leap over a small waterfall to swim upstream.
Unfortunately, the contest was delayed by a day due to the tragic death of Bear 402, a female bear killed by a male bear during a fight on Monday. The incident, along with a previous event where a male bear killed a cub that fell over a waterfall in late July, was captured by cameras in the park that livestream bear activities throughout the summer.
The non profit explore.org, which streams the bear cameras and helps organise Fat Bear Week , hosted a live discussion about the bear's death. Katmai National Park ranger Sarah Bruce noted that the reasons behind the bears fighting are still unclear.
This year's contest features 12 bears, with eight competing in the first round and four advancing directly to the second round. These bears have been consuming a significant amount of food throughout the summer.
Adult male brown bears typically weigh between 600 and 900 pounds (about 270 and 410 kilograms) in mid-summer. By the time they are ready to hibernate after eating many salmon—up to 30 fish per day—large males can weigh over 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms). Females are generally about one-third smaller.
When voting, fans should not only consider the bear with the biggest belly but also the bear that they believe "best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears." Voting in this year's tournament-style bracket will remain open until October 8. Last year, more than 1.3 million votes were cast.
The bears in the park feast on an abundance of sockeye salmon as they prepare for hibernation. They often catch fish mid-air as the salmon leap over a small waterfall to swim upstream.
Unfortunately, the contest was delayed by a day due to the tragic death of Bear 402, a female bear killed by a male bear during a fight on Monday. The incident, along with a previous event where a male bear killed a cub that fell over a waterfall in late July, was captured by cameras in the park that livestream bear activities throughout the summer.
The non profit explore.org, which streams the bear cameras and helps organise Fat Bear Week , hosted a live discussion about the bear's death. Katmai National Park ranger Sarah Bruce noted that the reasons behind the bears fighting are still unclear.
This year's contest features 12 bears, with eight competing in the first round and four advancing directly to the second round. These bears have been consuming a significant amount of food throughout the summer.
Adult male brown bears typically weigh between 600 and 900 pounds (about 270 and 410 kilograms) in mid-summer. By the time they are ready to hibernate after eating many salmon—up to 30 fish per day—large males can weigh over 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms). Females are generally about one-third smaller.
When voting, fans should not only consider the bear with the biggest belly but also the bear that they believe "best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears." Voting in this year's tournament-style bracket will remain open until October 8. Last year, more than 1.3 million votes were cast.
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