Bear 910 and Backpack Face Off in Final of Alaska's Fat Bear Week

After a week of competition, Bear 910 and Backpack have emerged as the final contenders for the heavyweight title in Alaska's Fat Bear Week, a tournament that highlights the 2,200 brown bears living in Katmai National Park and Preserve. The single-elimination bracket, now in its 12th year, pits 16 bears against each other, and voting is conducted online until the final poll closes on Tuesday evening. Viewers can watch the bears on livestream cameras before casting their votes.

The event, launched in 2014 to educate the public about brown bears, emphasizes the bears' seasonal feeding on salmon in the Brooks River, where they can consume up to 30 fish per day to build fat reserves for winter hibernation. Adult males typically weigh 600 to 900 pounds in midsummer and can exceed 1,000 pounds after the salmon feast, while females are roughly one-third smaller.

Last year’s champion, Bear 32, weighed an estimated 1,200 pounds but was eliminated in the first round after losing to Bucky, who later fell to Backpack. This year’s finalists also include five bear families, reflecting a record number of families and cubs at the river. Mother bear Bear 132 and her three cubs reached the semifinals before being defeated by Bear 910.

"Fat bears are successful bears," the nonprofit organizing the event states on its website, noting that the bears rely on abundant salmon returning to the Brooks River from late June onward.

The winner will be announced after Tuesday’s final vote, concluding the tournament that showcases the bears’ preparation for hibernation and the ecological significance of the salmon runs.