No weight-shamers allowed.
Almost time for Alaska’s brown bears to hibernate for another winter — and that means Fat Bear Week is back.
The irreverent annual contest, created by administrators at Katmai National Park in the 49th state, celebrates the local community of brown bears — said to be some of the largest on Earth — and their efforts to fatten up for the long winter’s nap.
“We have some of the largest bears on the planet,” Ranger Naomi Boak told NPR. “The big boars, the biggest guys, can get to be between 1,000 and 1,400 pounds.”
Female bears, or sows, can reach 700 or 800 pounds, she said. For the bears to enter hibernation safely, “they need every ounce of fat they can get” before going underground, whereupon they drop back down like Yo-Yogi Bear.
The public gets to decide who will be designated the meatiest mammal in a tournament-style competition held online from Oct. 4 through Oct. 10.
The 2023 bear brackets and head-to-head matchups will be announced on Oct. 2. All voting takes place at FatBearWeek.com.
The main event is preceded by the Fat Bear Junior contest on Sept. 28 and 29, giving cubs a chance to compete.
The brown bears — or Ursus arctos — of the Katmai gorge themselves on fish from the Brooks River, one of the last remaining healthy sockeye salmon runs on the planet. The region attracts sport fishermen from all over the world.
Most of the bears begin their hibernation in late October or early November, emerging again in March or April.
Throughout the spring, summer and fall, fans can monitor their favorite bears via webcams placed around the park, watching as they eat their way along the river’s rapids and waterfalls.
The bears attract around 10 million virtual visitors each year. In 2022, more than 1 million people voted for their fave fatso — the fluffy furball known as Bear 747 is now a two-time winner and reigning champion, despite concerns over voter fraud in 2022.
The known eating record is 42 salmon in 5.5 hours. It was set by 480 Otis, one of the river’s oldest bears and four-time Fat Bear Week champ.
Fat Bear Week has been growing in popularity since it began in 2014 as a one day event. It highlights the important pound-packing pilgrimage that the binging bears undergo in preparation for winter hibernation.