close
close

Fat Bear Week continues after deadly bear fight

2 Chunk is a brown bear estimated to weigh over 1,200 pounds. Photo: E. Johnston / National Park Service

Unfortunately, leading up to this year's competition on September 30th, two bears clashed in Katmai National Park and Reserve, resulting in one bear eventually overpowering and killing the other.

KING SALMON, Alaska – For brown bears along the Brooks River in Katmai National Park, making it through the winter is a matter of survival of the fattest bears. According to explore.org, the organization that runs the Fat Bear Week competition, the bears in this area are among the largest in the world. The abundance of salmon in the Brooks River provides bears with a rich and nutritious food source.

Each year, Katmai and explore.org work together to celebrate the fattest bears in a friendly “Fat Bear Week” competition.

Unfortunately, leading up to this year's competition on September 30th at Katmai National Park and Preserve, two bears clashed, resulting in one overpowering and killing the other. The attack was recorded live on one of the famous Bear Cams and park staff were alerted to the incident by alert Bear Cam followers.

Katmai and Explore.org, operators of the Bear Cams, have decided to postpone the Fat Bear Week announcement due to the incident.

It is unclear how or why the fighting began, but the brutal exchange lasted over 20 minutes and resulted in 469 people being killed and 402 people being killed. The entire fight occurred in the water and experts believe the ultimate cause of death was drowning rather than physical trauma or injury.

Remembering 402

The park staff and bear cam fans are all mourning the loss of 402. Bruce, a ranger at Katmai, expressed that while she usually has a personal rule of not picking “favorites” when it comes to bears, she always chooses one had a special place in her heart for 402.

Fat bear week

The annual Fat Bear Week competition is now open and will take place October 2-8, 2024. The public is invited to check out the powerful brown bears that have gathered on wild Alaskan salmon in preparation for winter.

Visit the website to vote

This 10th anniversary event celebrates both the bears' survival instincts and Katmai's thriving ecosystem. Voting will take place online at fatbearweek.org, with head-to-head matchups leading to the 2024 Fat Bear Week Champion being crowned on October 8th.

“Fat Bear Week satisfies your hunger for bears, salmon and the other wonders of Katmai,” said Park Director Mark Sturm.

In 2023, nearly 1.4 million votes were cast by participants from over 100 countries. Fans can watch the action via live cams on Explore.org.

Check out the live bear cam

Bracket rankings as of October 3rd

You may also like...