Gentle Giant Backpack, officially designated Bear 89, has been declared the winner of Alaska's annual Fat Bear Week competition. The popular contest, hosted by Katmai National Park and Preserve, concluded Tuesday with Backpack securing victory over his rival, Bear 910, by a narrow margin of just over 50% of the votes cast.
The nonprofit organization behind the event announced that Backpack received more than 100,000 votes. The competition celebrates the resilience of the park's approximately 2,200 brown bears as they prepare for winter hibernation by consuming large amounts of salmon.
This year's event marked the 12th iteration of Fat Bear Week, which began in 2014 as an engaging method to educate the public about the coastal brown bears of the Alaska Peninsula. The contest features a single-elimination bracket system, with 16 bears vying for the title.
Backpack, who was introduced to the Brooks River as a cub in 2006 by his mother, a previous Fat Bear Week champion named Holly, earned his nickname due to his habit of riding on his mother's back. His contestant profile highlights his lack of aggression towards competitors, noting his use of "quiet strength" rather than confrontation. Wildlife cameras have often captured him resting on a rock, seemingly observing his surroundings.
![Backpack, officially named Bear 89 and known for his pacifist nature, was the winner Tuesday with more than 100,000 votes.]( "" "Backpack," officially named Bear 89 and known for his pacifist nature, was the winner Tuesday with more than 100,000 votes.")
Last year's champion, Chunk (Bear 32), who weighed an estimated 1,200 pounds, was eliminated in an earlier round this year by Bucky, who subsequently lost to Backpack.
The public participated in voting via the official Fat Bear Week website, www.fatbearweek.org, and could observe the bears' preparations for hibernation through livestream cameras provided by explore.org.
The success of the bears in gaining weight is crucial for their survival. Adult male brown bears typically weigh between 600 and 900 pounds in the summer and can exceed 1,000 pounds by the time they enter hibernation. Females are generally smaller. During their winter dormancy, bears do not eat or drink and can lose up to a third of their body weight.
This year's competition also recognized the significant presence of bear families, with five family units participating. Mother bears face the challenge of feeding and protecting their cubs while simultaneously accumulating sufficient fat reserves for hibernation, a period during which cubs are particularly vulnerable to dangers like territorialism and food scarcity from other bears.
Bear 132 and her three cubs reached the semifinals but were ultimately defeated by Bear 910. Bear 132 is noted as one of the largest and most experienced mother bears at Brooks River. Her contestant profile detailed a recent incident where one of her cubs was temporarily separated from the family before being reunited.
Despite the intense competition, the nonprofit emphasizes that all the bears are considered winners for their successful adaptation and survival strategies.