Summary
Backpack, a large brown bear in Alaska’s Katmai National Park, won the Fat Bear Week contest with over 100,000 votes. The event celebrates the health and strength of brown bears as they gain fat to survive winter hibernation by eating salmon from the Brooks River.Key Facts
- Backpack is known as a gentle and less aggressive bear compared to others.
- Fat Bear Week is an annual online contest held since 2014 to highlight brown bears in Katmai National Park.
- The competition uses a single-elimination bracket, with public voting deciding the winner.
- Bears get fat by eating many salmon to prepare for winter hibernation, when they do not eat or drink.
- Adult male brown bears usually weigh 600-900 pounds in summer and can exceed 1,000 pounds before hibernation.
- Females are about one-third smaller than males and must also care for their cubs during this time.
- The contest featured 16 bears in this year’s tournament, including several bear families with cubs.
- Backpack is the son of Holly, a former Fat Bear Week champion, and earned his name from riding on his mother’s back as a cub.
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