Fat Bear Week Is Here. Take A Look At What To Expect And How You Can Celebrate

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Easy to see how Bear 128 got into this year’s Fat Bear Week 2021 competition.

A. Willingham/National Park Service

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A. Willingham/National Park Service

Animals
It’s Fat Bear Week In Alaska’s Katmai National Park — Time To Fill Out Your Bracket

So, you may be wondering, «How exactly does this contest work? It’s simple.

The participating bears are matched against each other in a «March Madness style competition (single-elimination), where online visitors can vote for «Fat Bear Week 2021 Champion.

The big bootied and bulky bellied bears of Brooks want to make sure you are casting your votes in today’s two head-to-head matches. Don’t miss out — voting at https://t.co/thJwxp9wuP closes today at 5pm AKDT (9pm EDT). #FatBearWeek pic.twitter.com/BccHTkvYW0

— Katmai National Park (@KatmaiNPS) September 29, 2021

In the end, the last two very fat bears will face off for the title of «Fattest Bear which takes place on (yup, you guessed it) Fat Bear Tuesday.

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The official Fat Bear Week 2021 bracket. The competition is styled as single-elimination, similar to NCAA’s «March Madness.

NPS

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NPS

Animals
Stuffed With Sockeye Salmon, ‘Holly’ Wins ‘Fat Bear Week’ Heavyweight Title

The bear matchups will be open for voting between 12 — 9 p.m. ET (9 a.m. — 6 p.m. PT).

«All bears are winners but only one true champion will emerge, NPS said.

There are some 2,200 bears in Katmai National Park & Preserve, as more bears than people are estimated to live on the Alaska Peninsula, NPS said.

Where the park is located, according to NPS, is a «wild region — having the «largest, healthiest runs of sockeye salmon left on the planet.

Last year’s Fat Bear Week winner, Bear 747, is in the competition this year. In September 2020, he weighed an estimated 1,400 pounds — and he’s at least that big this year, according to Explore.org.

Far Bear Week takes place from Sept. 29 to Oct. 5.