Bear 128, known as “Grazer,” was crowned the winner of Fat Bear Week 2023 on October 10, after receiving nearly five times as many votes as the runner-up, Bear 32, who is known as “Chunk.”
“Fat Bear Week” is “an annual celebration of success,” says the National Park Service website.
It was first held in 2014.
“For bears, fat equals survival,” the organization said, as bears do not eat or drink during winter hibernation.
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Hibernating bears can lose up to a third of their body weight, said the National Park Service.
“Survival depends on eating a year’s worth of food in six months,” it also noted.
Grazer, winner of the 2023 Fat Bear Week competition, is seen here in a photo taken on Sept. 14, 2023, photo. (F. Jimenez/National Park Service via AP)
Fat Bear Week pits the brown bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park & Preserve in a tournament-style competition.
The public can vote each day for the winner of the round — and the winning bear is crowned on “Fat Bear Tuesday.”
This year, the final two bears were Grazer and Chunk, with Grazer receiving 108,321 votes to Chunk’s 23,134.
A “particularly defensive mother bear,” Grazer has raised two litters of cubs.
“Grazer is a large adult female with a long straight muzzle and conspicuously blond ears,” said the website for the National Park Service.
It noted that Grazer “is often one of the fattest bears to utilize Brooks River.”
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Grazer is “one of the best anglers at Brooks River,” said the National Park Service. It “can chase down fleeing salmon in many parts of the river or patiently scavenge dead and dying salmon after they spawn.”
A “particularly defensive mother bear,” Grazer has raised two litters of cubs, the service also said.
Fat Bear Week took place at Katmai National Park & Preserve from October 4 to October 10. This year, a female named Grazer (not pictured) was declared the winner. (Felicia Jimenez)
“She often preemptively confronts and attacks much larger bears — even large and dominant adult males — in order to ensure her cubs are safe,” they said.
Grazer’s behavior “produced many benefits beyond the protection of her cubs,” said the National Park Service, which explained that even though she was single in 2023, she “maintained a high level of dominance.”
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“For example, a large adult male, 151 Walker, regularly avoided her approach,” the service said.
Chunk, to his credit, also has quite the “resume” for Fat Bear Week.
Fat Bear Week pits the brown bears of Katmai National Park & Preserve in a “competition” ahead of their hibernation season. (iStock)
“Chunk is a large adult male with narrowly set eyes, a prominent brow ridge, and a distinctive scar across his muzzle,” said the National Park Service.
“Even at his leanest, Chunk carries substantial fat reserves, especially on his hind quarters,” the organization added.
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An “enigmatic” bear, Chunk either played with other bears or waited to scavenge their leftover salmon.
“He was also often unwilling or unable to successfully challenge some of the other big males at Brooks River,” said the National Park Service.
Bear 480, known as “Otis,” is a four-time Fat Bear Week champion. This year, he was eliminated in the first round of the tournament. (The Washington Post/Getty Images)
That changed, however, during the summer of 2023.
“Chunk used his size and confidence to his advantage,” the service said, noting that even last year’s Fat Bear Week winner had “deferred fishing spots and salmon to him.”
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“Due to his size and strength, Chunk has gained the confidence and ability to take advantage of opportunities not available to most other bears,” said the National Park Service.
“But it is only by observing his full range of behaviors that we can get a true sense of his individuality,” the group said.
“His low-hanging belly and ample hindquarters bear the fruit of his summer success.”
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