Fat Bear Week Returns: 16 Alaska Brown Bears Compete — Can Chunk Defend His Crown?

Fat Bear Week is back in Katmai National Park, Alaska, with sixteen brown bears competing for the public's vote — including reigning champion Chunk (Bear 32), who reportedly weighed 544 kg when he won last year.

Now in its 12th year, Fat Bear Week invites a global audience to choose the bear they think bulked up most successfully ahead of hibernation. The event, supported by Explore.org, was created to raise awareness about these animals and the extraordinary seasonal changes that determine their survival.

Why Weight Matters

Mike Fitz, a resident naturalist at Explore.org, told the Associated Press that the competition highlights how critical weight gain is to a brown bear's survival. Because bears do not eat during hibernation, they must accumulate enough fat during roughly six months of feeding to sustain them for the rest of the year.

This year it is hard to pick a favorite. A few bears are larger than others, but it is not only about body mass — voters should consider each bear's story, from dominant males fighting for Brooks Falls fishing spots to mothers struggling to feed their cubs.

Katmai National Park and Preserve is home to approximately 2,200 brown bears. First held in 2014, the competition offers viewers a window into the animals' daily lives: triumphant fishing sessions, playful social interactions, and the real hardships mothers sometimes face when feeding cubs or coping with loss.

Adult male brown bears typically weigh between 270 and 410 kilograms, though especially large males that feast on salmon can exceed 450 kilograms. Females are generally about one-third smaller. During hibernation bears neither eat nor drink and may lose around one-third of their body weight.

Fitz also emphasized the vital role healthy salmon runs play for these bears. He pointed to the abundant sockeye salmon in Alaska's Bristol Bay as an example of a thriving river ecosystem and said the region demonstrates why protecting and restoring salmon runs across North America is so important.

The final public vote is scheduled for Tuesday, 29 September, when viewers will select this year's champion. For extra fun, searching "Fat Bear Week" on Google reveals an interactive on-screen bear that users can feed salmon to help it gain weight for winter.