Don't let election fatigue get you down and make sure your voice is heard during the very important ballot process for Fat Bear Week.
Fat Bear Week happens at Katmai National Park in Alaska, and it's an “annual celebration of success” that pits 12 bears against each other and lets you decide which one is the absolute unit as they prepare for hibernation and blow up in size.
Voting was delayed this year when a bear killed one of this year’s competitors. On Monday morning at Katmai National Park, Bear #469 attacked and killed Bear #402 at the Brooks River in the Alaska park, the National Park Service shared in a release. Because of the attack, the reveal was pushed back a day.
It has not been shared what prompted the bear to attack, though it was caught on camera by the nonprofit explore.org, which set up webcams to follow the bears all summer.
“National parks like Katmai protect not only the wonders of nature but also the harsh realities,” National Parks spokesperson Matt Johnson shared in the release. “Each bear seen on the webcams is competing with others to survive.”
Despite the attack and loss of the competitor, the bracket for this year’s Fat Bear Week has been released to the public, opening voting for everyone’s favorite fat bears.
Voting takes place over the next five days and will culminate on Fat Bear Tuesday, Oct. 8, when one bear is crowned the fattest of the season.
“People may vote using any criteria they see fit,” the National Park Service said. “In the end, one bear will reign supreme.”
The bears can get pretty fat, as the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reports that large male brown bears can max out at around 1,500 pounds in coastal areas or up to 500 pounds in interior areas. By the time that the animals leave hibernation in the spring, they can be as much as 50% lighter than when they entered.
The first round of voting ends on Thursday when four of the eight bears will move on to the second round, where voting will continue on Friday and Saturday.
In round one, Bear #909 Jr., the victor of this year’s junior bracket, is facing off against Bear #519, with the victor moving on to face Grazer, or Bear #128, a mother bear who is the reigning victor.
The parks service notes that Grazer is one of the “most formidable, successful, and adaptable bears” at Brooks River. In July, Grazer was forced to protect one of her cubs from Bear #32, also known as Chunk, after they got too close to one another. However, the cub died from the injuries it sustained in the attack.
Chunk is also competing in the bracket, earning a first-round bye for being one of the “most dominant bears on the Brooks River.” He will face either Bear #856 or Bear #504.
Bear #747, a two-time Fat Bear Week champ, has also received a first-round bye, facing off against either the newcomer Bear #903, a smaller female, or Bear #909, the mother of the junior contest’s winner.
The final matchup is between Bear #151, a large male named Walker, and Bear #901, a female whose first litter of cubs did not survive. The winner will move on to face Bear #164, a larger animal that has grown comparable to Bear #747 in size.
Voters have until Tuesday to cast their votes.