[REVISION HISTORY]

Katmai National Park Fat Bear Week competition

Updated 7 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-04 10:43 UTC → 2026-10-09 22:36 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The 12th annual Fat Bear Week competition in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve has concluded, with Bear 89, known as ‘Backpack’, securing the title. Backpack won a close final vote against rival bear 910 by a margin of approximately 5,000 votes. Backpack, a roughly 20-year-old bear, earned his nickname as a cub for riding on the back of his mother, Holly, a previous winner. The competition, organized by the National Park Service, Explore.org, and the Katmai Conservancy, drew millions of votes from the ~~public. The tournament began with~~ public through a 16-bear lineup, including defending champion Bear 32 (‘Chunk’), Bear 903 (‘Gully’), and Bucky. Early in the event, high traffic volumes “broke the internet,” causing server issues that forced an extension of the first round of voting. bracket-style tournament. Beyond the competition, the event highlights the biological process of hyperphagia, where bears enter a feeding frenzy to build fat reserves necessary to survive winter hibernation. During this period, bears can lose up to one-third of their body weight. The event continues to serve as a platform to raise awareness regarding brown bear habitats and the biological necessity of seasonal weight gain.

Versions

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.