- Bear 89, nicknamed Backpack, was crowned champion of Fat Bear Week after beating Bear 910 in the final matchup.
- Backpack won with 103,334 votes to Bear 910's 98,253 in the online tournament hosted by Katmai National Park and Preserve.
- The 12th annual single-elimination tournament featured 16 brown bears competing to demonstrate their vital pre-hibernation weight gain along Alaska's Brooks River.
- Last year's champion, Chunk, was eliminated in the first round by Bucky, who subsequently lost to Backpack.
- The competition aims to educate the public about coastal brown bears, which consume dozens of salmon daily to survive winter hibernation.
IN FULL
Backpack has officially been crowned the chunky champion of Fat Bear Week
