Fat Bear Week, the annual competition to see which Alaskan bears can pack on the most pounds before hibernation season, begins this week, with a combination of fan favorites and newcomers vying for the title of the state’s most rotund bear.
The contest, which has become increasingly popular in recent years, will see 12 bears in the Katmai national park in Alaska face off against each other, in an online vote.
Among the returning bears is 747, a popular two-time winner who is “typically very fat” by the end of the week, according to the Katmai Fat Bear Week guide. 747, a “skilled and efficient angler” who was once estimated to weigh 1,600lbs (636kg), is among the favorites this year.
Another previous winner is Otis, a three-time champion who is identifiable, according to Katmai, by his “blocky muzzle and a floppy right ear”. An older bear, Otis’s fishing hallmark is his “patience and persistence”.
“Like many older bears, Otis must also persevere through the poor condition of his teeth. He is missing two canine teeth and many of his other teeth are greatly worn,” the Katmai bear guide says.
Fat Bear Week works by allowing fans to vote for one of two bears. The victor then moves on to the next round, to face off against a different bear. There will be a daily vote each day from Wednesday to next Tuesday, when the champion will be crowned.
A favorite time of year for fans of fat bears around the world, Fat Bear Week narrowly avoided being canceled when a government shutdown was averted on Sunday. Had the shutdown gone ahead, the park rangers who run the contest would have been furloughed.
Having survived congressional incompetence, fans will be watching eagerly as the titans of Fat Bear Week guzzle down salmon to gain pre-hibernation weight.
The first vote on Wednesday will see 806 Jr, described as a “titanic tank of a spring cub”, face off against 428, a “pudgy three-and-a-half-year-old” female.
806 Jr comes in hot on the tails of winning the Fat Bear Junior competition at the end of September, and will be one to watch.
In Wednesday’s second vote, 402 enters the competition after facing tragedy last year, when one of her two young cubs went missing. A “skilled angler” and “efficient scavenger of dead and dying salmon in the lower Brooks River”, 402 has continued to care for her surviving cub.
Organizers will hope to avoid the controversy that briefly tainted last year’s tournament.
Katmai rangers said a ballot box had been “stuffed” in favor of a brown bear called Holly, giving her victory over 747 in the contest’s semi-finals.
An investigation, however, found that Holly had been propelled to victory after she received 9,000 votes in a short space of time.
Katmai national park conducted a recount, and awarded 747 the victory. 747 went on to triumph in the final, and will be hoping to add to his trophy haul this year.
