The most famous brown bear on Alaska’s Brooks River has many concerned because he’s old and has appeared gaunt and arthritic since his tardy emergence from hibernation.
But on Tuesday the folks at Explore.org, which maintains live-feed cameras on the Brooks River, happily reported that the bear, named Otis, “has eaten over 100 [pounds] of salmon in last 36 hours. He has been fishing nonstop!”
It’s wonderful news for his followers, of course, but also for a bear that is 27 years old (the upper end of a brown bear’s life cycle) and must compete with younger, more vigorous bears that battle for prime fishing spots on the river.
Otis 100! It is believed Otis has eaten over 100lbs of Salmon in last 36 hours. He has been fishing non-stop! pic.twitter.com/bJw2AjvSZv
— explore.org (@exploreorg) August 9, 2023
“Now I can tell he is better,” one follower commented. “The ribs and bones that were sticking out are smoothing out…. Keep on dear OTIS.”
Another comment: “He needs all the calories he can get. He has to catch up to 747 and the other big boys.”
That’s a reference to a true giant cataloged as Bear 747, aka Bear Force One.
Otis and 747 are perennial finalists in Fat Bear Week, a fan-driven competition held each fall as a celebration of the bears’ success after another feeding season.
But only Otis, a four-time Fat Bear Week champion, is referred to as the king, or King Otis.
To put Otis’ 36-hour feeding spree into perspective, the largest and most dominant bears on the river might consume as many as 100 pounds of salmon per day.
