Alaska's Annual 'Fat Bear Week' Competition Begins

Oh lawd, they comin'

Katmai National Park's annual competition of voting for your favorite chubby bear is back and voting has already begun! Which chubby cubby will win the title this year? 

Every Fall, the 'Fat Bear Week' competition takes place and it's a celebration in which the online community compares photos of bears in Spring and those same bears all chubbed up and getting ready for hibernation! The difference between the photos is often very obvious. And while it's a fun competition to take part in, it's truly all about these amazing bears, their survival, and how we're learning from them. 

For those who might consider this to be body shaming, it's actually all about body positivity. A bear needs to bulk up before winter, or else it won't survive. As the U.S. Department of the Interior says, "A fat bear is a healthy bear!" Bears can lose up to a third of their entire body fat as they hibernate. 

You can vote for your favorite chubby cubby here! And follow Katmai National Park on Twitter for all the updates! 


Author image for AmyBrown AmyBrown
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