Battle of the bears: Fat Bear Week set to begin Oct. 4
- Fat Bear Week lets people vote on the bear that's fattened up the most
- Live streaming cameras show the bears gorging on salmon all season
- Bears hibernate for six months each winter, surviving on stored fat
The current reigning Fat Bear Week champion, bear 747 stands in a rushing river. This bear is one of the most dominant males using Brooks River, and at his peak is estimated to weigh almost 1400 lbs. (NPS Photo/F. Jimenez)
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(NewsNation) — The battle of the bears is set to begin as the National Parks Service has announced the dates for Fat Bear Week.
Running from Oct. 4-10, Fat Bear Week asks the public to help determine which brown bear in Alaska’s Katmai National Park has packed on the most pounds to prepare for hibernation.
Reigning champion 747 will be up against other bears including four-time winner 480, also known as Otis.
Launched in 2014, the photos of the bears came from livestream cameras in the park, which captured views of the bears stuffing themselves with salmon ahead of winter hibernation.
The Brooks River, where the cameras are located, is one of the last great salmon runs left, making it critical for the bear’s survival.
The bracket-style competition inspired more than one million votes in 2022. The Park also holds a Fat Bear Junior competition for cubs, which will be held on Sept. 28-29.
See some of the contenders in our gallery:
Bear 901’s COY (Cubs of the Year), parade down Brooks River. These cubs were born in the den during winter, probably around January or February and were 1lb, about the size of a soup can. By the time these cubs go back into the den for hibernation this winter, they could be up to 80lbs! Pound for pound, spring cubs have some of the fastest growth rate compared to body size during this stage of life. (NPS Photo/F. Jimenez) 
Bear 402 and Yearling Cub (Courtesy N. Boak) 
Bear 480 Otis, at around 28 years old is one of the oldest bears to use Brooks River. This is first day seen back at Brooks Camp for the season, and he’s still expertly catching fish. (NPS Photo/F. Jimenez) 
Bear 854 Divot shares a little kiss with her spring cub. (NPS Photo/F. Jimenez) 
Adoption in bears is rare, but this season, we have the privilege of seeing this phenomenon among our Brooks River bears. The two cubs pictured are adopted siblings. Their mothers, bear 910 and bear 909 are sisters. The two sisters had cubs during different years, but they decided to raise their families together last year. This spring, the families returned together until bear 909 separated from her 2.5-year-old cub. Not quite ready for independence, 909 Jr stayed with her aunt 910 and yearling cousin and eventually was adopted. The new family fishes, travels, and sleeps together, and it seems like the new siblings are getting along just fine. (NPS Photo/F. Jimenez) 
Bears Lineup at the Falls (Courtesy of N. Boak) 
A bear catches a fish at Brooks Falls, while another fish makes the jump nearby. (NPS Photo/F. Jimenez) 
Bear 480 Otis is one of the oldest bears to use Brooks River. Here he naps in a daybed dug at Brooks Falls. (Courtesy of N. Boak) 
The current reigning Fat Bear Week champion, bear 747 stands in a rushing river. This bear is one of the most dominant males using Brooks River, and at his peak is estimated to weigh almost 1400 lbs. (NPS Photo/F. Jimenez) 
Two Bears Fight on a Rock at Brooks Falls (Courtesy of N. Boak)
