Backpack Bear Wins 12th Annual Fat Bear Week in Alaska

Backpack, a male brown bear identified as Bear 89, was declared the winner of Fat Bear Week in Katmai National Park and Preserve on Tuesday after receiving more than 100,000 online votes, just over half of the total poll. The nonprofit organization that runs the 12-year-old contest said the bear beat Bear 910 in the final round of a single-elimination tournament featuring 16 participants.

The annual event, which began in 2014, highlights the health and resilience of the roughly 2,200 brown bears that inhabit the Alaska Peninsula. Voters watched the bears on livestream cameras before casting their votes online. The nonprofit’s website notes that “fat bears are successful bears,” referring to the animals’ practice of feeding heavily on salmon in the Brooks River during summer to build fat reserves for winter hibernation.

Backpack is the offspring of former champion Holly, who first introduced him to the river as a cub in 2006. According to his contestant profile, he is noted for a calm demeanor and is often seen resting on rocks downstream rather than engaging in aggressive encounters with other males. Bear 910, the runner-up, is also a descendant of a previous champion, 409 Beadnose.

Adult male brown bears typically weigh 600-900 pounds in midsummer and can exceed 1,000 pounds after a salmon-rich feeding season, while females are about one-third smaller. During hibernation, bears do not eat or drink and may lose up to one-third of their body weight.

The competition also featured several bear families, reflecting a record number of cubs at the river this summer. One mother, Bear 132, advanced to the semifinals with her three cubs before being eliminated by Bear 910.