'Backpack' declared Alaska's Fat Bear Week winner

Backpack, a brown bear identified as 89 Backpack, won Alaska’s thirteenth annual Fat Bear Week, edging out the rival bear known only as 910 with 103,344 votes to 98,253 in the final round. The competition, organized by Katmai National Park and the U.S. National Parks Service, celebrates the bears that have amassed the most fat in preparation for hibernation. Backpack’s victory was described as a “battle of size, skill, snack acquisition, and strategic loafing,” and the park thanked the sixteen bears that “involuntarily participated” in the event. The winning bear, whose name stems from his habit as a cub of climbing onto his mother Holly’s back while she crossed the salmon‑rich Brooks River, will soon begin a hibernation period that can last up to six months.

The contest highlights the critical role of fat accumulation for brown bears’ winter survival, as they must lose roughly one‑third of their body weight during hibernation. Adult males can reach up to 540 kg, gaining about 25 % of their mass by autumn, while females may exceed 300 kg; cubs are born at roughly half a kilogram. From June through mid‑October, the bears gorge on abundant food sources, especially salmon caught with their jaws or paws, to build the reserves needed for the months without eating or drinking. Although the exact final weights of Backpack and 910 have not been released, the competition underscores the natural cycle of feeding and fasting that defines the bears’ yearly rhythm.

The public’s engagement with Fat Bear Week has grown dramatically, with more than 1.7 million votes cast last year by participants from over 100 countries. Fans voiced strong opinions on social media, praising Backpack’s “chonk and the badonk” while others championed 910, noting her role as a mother who raised both her own cub and an adopted niece. Backpack’s mother, Holly, was the 2019 Fat Bear Week champion, linking the current win to a lineage of successful foragers. The event not only entertains a global audience but also raises awareness of the bears’ ecological needs and the importance of preserving their habitat in Alaska’s Brooks River region.

⚡ Effects Interpreter