In the latest Fat Bear Week contest, Chunk, a large brown bear with a broken jaw, emerged victorious after securing second place in the competition for three consecutive years. The annual online event showcases 12 bears from Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve through live webcams, where viewers can vote in a bracket-style tournament lasting a week. Chunk, also known as Bear 32, triumphed over Bear 856 in the final round.
Contest organizers estimated Chunk’s weight at 1,200 pounds, using LIDAR technology to scan bear densities for weight approximations due to safety concerns. Despite his jaw injury, Chunk remains a prominent figure at Brooks River, as noted by naturalist Mike Fitz, who suggested the injury may have resulted from a bear altercation.
This year’s Fat Bear Week attracted over 1.5 million votes, with fans witnessing the bears feasting on a bountiful supply of fall salmon at Brooks River, located approximately 483 kilometers from Anchorage. According to Katmai Conservancy spokesperson Naomi Boak, this year’s salmon abundance has reduced conflicts among the bears, with an estimated 200,000 salmon navigating Brooks River.
In comparison to previous years, the fishing spots at Brooks Falls were less crowded, allowing bears and even humans to fish alongside each other. The online voters had the chance to view transformation photos of the bears, from lean at the start of summer to plump by the end, as they prepared for hibernation in Alaska’s harsh winters.
Fat Bear Week, initiated in 2014, serves as an educational platform about brown bears, highlighting their salmon-catching activities during the summer to build up reserves for the winter months in Alaska.
