Katmai National Park wants to know who will wear the crown and be voted the king (or queen) of Fat Bear Week.
The annual competition that helps determine which bear “best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears” has begun.
The bears have to pack on the pounds before winter hibernation sets in since they do not eat or drink and lose about a third of their body weight as they sleep for months.
“Their winter survival depends on accumulating ample fat reserves before entering the den,” Fat Bear Week organizers said.
They feast on foods that are the richest and most accessible, typically salmon, scarfing up as much as they can from late June until mid-October.
As the Fat Bear Week website says, “Fat bears are successful bears.”
We already know the winner of the Fat Bear Jr. competition. That’s bear 128’s Yearling, who had 20,793 votes, compared to the runner-up, 26’s female cub, who had 10,867. No. 26 beat her twin brother to get to the finals. The cub has a spot in the main Fat Bear Competition as part of the first day of voting.
Bear No. 128, nicknamed Grazer, has been the reigning champion for two years. She is also the mother of the Fat Bear Jr. competition.
Click here to see all the bears.
It is a single-elimination competition, with the bruin with the most votes moving to the next round.
Voting begins daily at noon ET/9 a.m. PT on Tuesday with no votes cast on Sept. 27 or 28. The finals will be Sept. 30. That’s when we will find out which bear will claim the title.