Brown Bear 'Backpack' Wins Annual Fat Bear Week Competition
The Alaskan brown bear secured victory by a narrow margin in the popular online contest run by Katmai National Park.
A brown bear named 'Backpack' has been crowned the winner of this year's Fat Bear Week competition. The annual event, organized by the Katmai National Park in Alaska, celebrates the success of brown bears in accumulating fat before their winter hibernation.
Backpack emerged victorious after a closely contested final round, narrowly defeating Bear 910 by a vote of 103,344 to 98,253. The U.S. National Park Service described the competition as a "battle of size, skill, snack acquisition and strategic loafing."
Supporters lauded Backpack for possessing both impressive size and foraging prowess. The winning bear will soon begin its hibernation period, which can extend up to six months, a crucial time for conserving energy after a successful feeding season.