The Fat Bears Of Alaska Are Taking The Internet By Storm, And You Can Vote On Your Favorite One
The bears of Alaska are getting fatter by the minute, and that’s a good thing. The famous brown bears of Katmai National Park have been feasting on salmon throughout the summer, but now it’s crunch time. Hibernation is just around the corner. They are getting ready by eating consistently to gain as much weight as they possibly can. For the fourth straight year, the park has put on a contest called Fat Bear Week, and it is all the rage on the internet.
According to the New York Times, the winner will be crowned on October 9, adoringly called Fat Bear Tuesday. Anyone can vote for who they think is the largest brown bear on Katmai’s Facebook page. It’s a fierce competition out there where the only thing on a bear’s mind is how much food they can stuff in their mouths.
Once hibernation takes place, the bears can lose up to one third of its body mass while they are in their dens. It is imperative that they store up as much body fat as possible to get them through until spring so they can do it all over again.
People can’t seem to get enough of the Alaskan bears. Brooks Falls is the place to be when the bears appear to do a little salmon fishing starting in the spring. The salmon are jumping and the bears are leaping into action to grab them. Explore has all of the action where fans can watch them wait patiently for the perfect moment to grab their favorite snack. There is also a chance to see mothers roaming around with their cubs in tow or a couple of bears playing together in the river.
We’re down to the #FatBearWeek final four!
In this round: metabolic magician 409 Beadnose goes up against no stranger to the gallery of calories, 854 Divot. Whose salmon-sourced cellulite supersedes?
Vote now on our Facebook: https://t.co/az5KQLICFI pic.twitter.com/UuGUvWPSmR
— Katmai National Park (@KatmaiNPS) October 7, 2018
The contest is a fun way to get bear fans involved. Many people have been watching their favorites since the live cams started in 2012. Many eventful things have happened at Katmai while thousands of viewers watched, including a bear mom named Holly who adopted an abandoned yearling in 2014. She already had a spring cub of her own, but she somehow chose to let this new one into her life. That is quite a rare thing to happen among bears. These are the amazing things that can be witnessed firsthand on Explore.
? Caught with a milk mustache.
This sow and two cubs were recently spotted nursing near Hallo Bay. A sow will nurse her cubs as long as they are with her, generally until they are 2.5 years old. pic.twitter.com/8Vm51ru3R5
— Katmai National Park (@KatmaiNPS) August 4, 2018
The fat bear contest is still going on. You can go vote for your favorite before the fattest brown bear is announced on Tuesday. Be sure to catch all of the action as bear season winds down at Katmai National Park in Alaska. Explore has many other live cams to enjoy all year long. A little bit of nature while sitting in the comfort of your living room can do wonders.
