Stuffed With Salmon: Brown Bear ‘747’ Declared Champion of Annual ‘Fat Bear Week’ Ahead of Hibernation

Stuffed With Salmon: Brown Bear ‘747’ Declared Champion of Annual ‘Fat Bear Week’ Ahead of Hibernation
(Courtesy of L. Law, Katmai National Park and Preserve)
Epoch Inspired Staff
10/25/2022
Updated:
10/25/2022
0:00

This year’s Alaskan salmon run has—absolutely, claws-itively—been a boon for brown bears.

Fat Bear Week, an annual competition inaugurated in 2014, was launched to celebrate brown bears that feast upon the bountiful sockeye salmon that make the perilous migration upriver to spawn every year at Katmai National Park.

The top prize, officiated by the park staff, is awarded to the bear who bulks up the most—the title signifies an ecosystem that is currently thriving.

The Fat Bear 2022 champion was announced on October 11 following a “March Madness”-style tournament. With several “bearcams” installed at Brooks Falls and along the river, viewers online opted for their bear of choice. Their selections culminated in a final faceoff between contender bear 901, a humongous sow, and the infamous previous champion, aptly dubbed 747.
A photo of 747 taken on Sept. 6, 2022. (Courtesy of L. Law, Katmai National Park and Preserve)
A photo of 747 taken on Sept. 6, 2022. (Courtesy of L. Law, Katmai National Park and Preserve)
A photo of 747 taken during Fat Bear Week 2022. (Courtesy of Katmai Conservatory/Guy Runco, via Katmai National Park and Preserve)
A photo of 747 taken during Fat Bear Week 2022. (Courtesy of Katmai Conservatory/Guy Runco, via Katmai National Park and Preserve)

Ultimately, this jetliner of a bear, 747, landed the title for a second time this year. He garnered a whopping 68,105 votes from online participants, while 901’s sizable yet insufficient 56,876 tally fell short of the mark.

The hulking champ could weigh as much as 1,400 pounds, experts say.

After 747’s incontestable victory, the competition—which the park hosts alongside two non-profit partners, explorer.org and Katmai Conservancey—posted a picture of the massive brown bear on Facebook, showcasing his rotund girth—which is almost freakish to behold.

The victory of 747 mustn’t overshadow the other comment-worthy fat bears of the competition, though. Other participants, designated by number and garnered nicknames, include: 32 “Chunk,” 128 “Grazer,” 435 “Holly,” and favored contender 480 “Otis the GOAT.” But in the end, they failed to measure up in the salmon-gorging department.

However, the competition did not conclude without scandal.

A photo of 747 in Katmai National Park on Sept. 6, 2022. (Courtesy L. Law, Katmai National Park and Preserve)
A photo of 747 in Katmai National Park on Sept. 6, 2022. (Courtesy L. Law, Katmai National Park and Preserve)
A photo of 747 salmon hunting on Sept. 6, 2022. (Courtesy L. Law, Katmai National Park and Preserve)
A photo of 747 salmon hunting on Sept. 6, 2022. (Courtesy L. Law, Katmai National Park and Preserve)
A photo of 747 taking a breather during a salmon hunting expedition on Sept. 9, 2022. (Courtesy L. Law, Katmai National Park and Preserve)
A photo of 747 taking a breather during a salmon hunting expedition on Sept. 9, 2022. (Courtesy L. Law, Katmai National Park and Preserve)

What would a tournament be nowadays without controversy?

In a fitting twist, with the mid-term elections less than three weeks off, competition officials announced that they stumbled on alleged voter fraud while tallying the numbers on Twitter.

“???FAT BEAR WEEK SCANDAL???,” they Tweeted on the evening of Oct. 9. “Like bears stuff their face with fish, our ballot box, too, has been stuffed.”

But the park promptly followed up that they successfully discerned the real votes from the fake ones, and then declared 747 the competition’s winner.

Ultimately, this giant-size title aims to celebrate a thriving ecosystem—unlike in humans, accumulating fat reserves in bears signifies fantastic health that can help assure their survival; the annual feast helps them pack on the pounds for winter hibernation.

According to the park, male brown bears can bulk up from around 600-900 pounds to 1,000 pounds or more before temperatures plummet. During hibernation season, they can lose as much as a third of their bodyweight.
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Epoch Inspired staff cover stories of hope that celebrate kindness, traditions, and triumph of the human spirit, offering valuable insights into life, culture, family and community, and nature.
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