Fat Bear Week voting opens; which bear will win?

Fat Bear Week 2023 Bear 747 is competing once again for the title of Fat Bear at Katmai National Park and Reserve in Alaska. (Cory Cravatta/Katmai National Park & Preserve, Flickr)

By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

October 04, 2023 at 10:31 am CDT

KATMAI NATIONAL PARK, Alaska — Voting has begun for this year’s Fat Bear competition. Who will come out on top? Last year’s winner 747, or multi-year champ Otis? Only time will tell.

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Fat Bear Week is an annual celebration where bears are voted upon not only for fun to name a champion, but to also shine a light on the Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

It also highlights how bears prepare for their months-long hibernation, packing on pounds before they crawl into their cozy spots for a long nap.

Bears have to eat about a year’s worth of food in six months, since while they’re sleeping over the next few months they will be using up their fat reserves. The animals end up losing about a third of their body weight.

The national park has a a plethora of salmon from late June to September and bears flock there to catch the fish and feast.

The voting bracket is open from noon to 9 p.m. ET daily through Oct. 10, except for Oct. 8.

There is also a Fat Bear Junior competition that selects the chubbiest cubs of the year.

Voting happened last month, and 806′s spring cub took the title with 18,148 votes in the final tally.

Past winners of both the junior and adult competitions include: