For the bears of Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, it’s time to get jiggly. In fact, the more jiggly the better as the beefy bruins vie for the coveted annual title of Fattest Bear 2020!
The yearly contest pits Katmai’s bears of Brooks River in head-to-head match-ups in Fat Bear Week’s single-elimination tournament, launching Wednesday, Sept. 30.
But the work isn’t all on the bears’ hefty hindquarters. While the plumpest of the plump work to gain even more, your votes decide who will wear the mantle of Fattest Bear.
Bear 435 Holly surveys her domain this week at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. Will she retain her Fat Bear Week title? NPS Photo/ N. Boak via Facebook.
Fat bears = healthy bears
Despite the weight they’re carrying, these burly beasts can still run faster than most humans, and their power of packing on the pounds gets them through the winter and live to compete another year. Fat bears = healthy bears.
Does Bear 747 have a chance to get his first championship by dethroning last year’s reigning champion, 435 Holly? Will a new bear come from the outside and topple the competition for the ultimate win?
Can multi-time champ 480 Otis reclaim his spot on top for one more year?
Matchups will be open for voting at explore.org/fat-bear-week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Alaska (12 – 10 p.m. Eastern)
A partnership of Katmai National Park and Preserve, explore.org and the Katmai Conservancy, you can even check out the live bear cams here!
Ready to check out the competition for this year’s crown? Here is the 2020 Fat Bear Week Bracket for you to fill out! Then remember to come back to explore.org/fat-bear-week daily from Sept. 30 through Championship Tuesday, Oct. 6.
Located on the northern Alaska Peninsula northwest of Kodiak Island, Katmai National Park and Preserve was established in 1918 to protect the volcanically devastated region surrounding Novarupta and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Today, the preserve also protects 9,000 years of human history and important habitat for salmon and thousands of brown bears. Almost exclusively accessed by plane or boat, learn more here.
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