“Fat Bear Week” in Katomai National Park in Alaska is a survival game
“Fat Bear Week” is trying to raise awareness about how Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Reserves are adapting to climate change.
Scott L. Hall, USA Today
This is the most difficult challenge of the year.
Fat Bear Week starts on September 23rd.
Every year, the furious Bears and parents of Katmai National Park attract global attention with the Madness-style Bracket Challenge in March, as fans choose bears to advance in each round.
“The Bears have been working hard all season to get fat,” Katmai park ranger Sarah Bruce told USA Today.
There is a good reason. For them, bulging is a matter of life and death.
Here are the reasons you should know about Fat Bear in 2025 and what else you should know.
When is Fat Bear Week?
Fat Bear Week will be running from September 23rd to September 30th.
Every day, from noon to 9pm, fans can vote for picks on the event’s website.
Over 1 million votes were voted last year.
What kind of bears do you have in Katmai?
Katmai is known for its iconic brown bear, but its health is essentially linked to a different species, Sockeye Salmon.
“We still have these intact ecosystems in this region where we can run the world’s most sustainable socky salmon, and humans still manipulate and develop in the ecosystem to suit their needs.
“There’s so much to learn about Katmai, and the bear is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Which bears do you have at Fat Bear Week?
This year’s contestants are mixed with favourites and new competitors returning.
“It’s really great on the Brooks River. The same Bears come back every year. It’s part of their home range and there were big players who were in competitions that seemed really good for this year,” Bruce said.
Without confirming who would make the cut, she admitted that fans were looking for bears like 128, nicknames called Glazer and 32.
“He had a jaw injury this year, so seeing him still fat despite his injuries is like ‘good for you’,” she said. “We then have some new bears that we haven’t seen their entire story unfold in the river before, but it was in the river like almost every season this year. … They look very fat.
Who won the 2024 Fat Bear?
Grazer won Fat Bear Week Week in 2024 and 2023.
Bruce pointed out that he was the first female bear to raise a turnip when the 128 wins.
Why do bears become so thick?
To prepare for hibernation, the Bears pack pounds. They need fat reserves to survive the long winter.
“Now they’re in a stage called hyperphagia, where the hormones in their bodies were turned off to tell them they’re full,” Bruce said. “They can’t feel fulfilled no matter how much they eat, so they just keep eating.”
That fat is especially important for women and sows.
“A female bear only gets a successful pregnancy if there is enough fat,” Bruce said, explaining that fertilized eggs don’t even plant them unless there is enough fat to maintain their pregnancy. “We have a lot of really fat, heavy single women right now, so we’re hoping for a bit of a turnip boom in the spring.”
Why do bears on the Brooks River become thicker than other bears in Katmai National Park?
During the summer, Brooks River Falls offers a true buffet.
“There’s a salmon school out there. It’s really easy to pick up for the bear,” Bruce said.
With so many fish, it is not uncommon to see lonely bears cleaning relatively close to the waterfall.
But what’s unusual this year is the abundance of salmon, and in its bounty, “We’ve seen a lot of plays, even from the elderly boar,” or the male bear said, Bruce said.
She noted that most salmon runs have ended, but there are still many dead and dying fish, berries and other fish in the river for bears to clean up.
A deep bear watches his friend catching flying salmon
A wildlife photographer in Katomai National Park, Alaska, caught the moment a brown bear caught a salmon and the reaction of two bears next to it.
USA TODAY, full story
Fat Bear Week 2025 Live Stream
Fans can see some of the bears on Explore.org. This pre-records the live video mix and Brooks Falls highlights.
Fat Bear Week is a partnership between National Parks, Explore.org and Katmai Conservancy.
