You guys, I’m so embarrassed but I forgot to vote! No, not in NYC’s upcoming mayoral election, I’ve already popped that ballot in the mail. I’m speaking, of course, of the highly consequential public contest that comes this time every year: Fat Bear Week! You see, for a bear heading into winter, to be healthy is to be fat. (Oh, to be born a bear…) For over a decade now, the good folks at Katmai National Park in Alaska have raised awareness about preserving ecosystems by inviting the world to spy via livestream on any one of the 2,200 brown bears as they bulk up on salmon to prepare for hibernation. Voting closed on Tuesday, and a winner has been crowned: Chunk (aka Bear 32), a previous contestant but first time winner whose 96,362 votes edged out rival Bear 856 (no name, only a number), who garnered 63,729 votes. Hm, I wonder if Chunk was the same intrepid bear who charged the Seattle Kraken’s mascot this summer, but I digress…
Chunk for the win! Chunk had the odds stacked against him this year. According to Explore.org, the naturally large bear arrived at Brooks River this year with a broken jaw, likely the result of a fight with another brown bear over a mate. Bears at Katmai National Park don’t receive veterinary care, so animal experts were unsure how Chunk would adapt to his injury. The bear managed to pivot quickly, learning how to catch and consume salmon with his injured jaw. Chunk’s perseverance allowed him to bulk up and get a spot in the final 2025 Fat Bear Week mashup.
Bear 856 has a distinctive quirk: Bear 856 is also a large, male brown bear, who is easily identifiable to park rangers due to the animal’s unusual habit of licking his lips — a behavior not typically observed in brown bears. Per Explore.org, Bear 856 was one of the most dominant male bears in Katmai National Park from 2011 to 2023. Now that Bear 856 is older, he is more careful about picking his battles, but remains an expert at bulking up for hibernation.
The salmon factor: Salmon also plays a massive role in this very special week, as Katmai National Park boasts one of the world’s healthiest sockeye salmon runs. Salmon are critical, and bears can consume more than 40 in a single day, translating to around 100,000 calories. Without this abundance, reproduction rates fall, cub survival drops, and entire ecosystems can shift.
Rising temps are hurting the ecosystem: Katmai National Park also helps organize the event as a way to draw global attention to a warming climate, as salmon require cold water to thrive, and rising temperatures threaten their annual runs. “Fat Bear Week raises awareness by bringing the relationship between the bears and the salmon to the forefront,” the NPS states. “Preservation of a healthy ecosystem for Brooks River is essential for all the animals of Katmai.”
A salute to last years’ winner: Chunk ends Grazer (Bear 128)’s two-year winning streak. She took home the Fat Bear crown in 2023 and 2024, making her the first mother bear to win. She competed this year alongside her yearling cub. Grazer is known for her assertive fishing style and willingness to challenge larger males.
Ah yes, Grazer is a gem and one for the history books. But I’m afraid I have a serious bugaboo that must be addressed: the fact that while all bears are identified by number, only a few of them have names as well. That’s a clear bias! The contest is rigged! Seriously, “856” never stood a chance up against a name like “Chunk,” that’s just Campaigning 101. A name bestows character upon each individual Ursus arctos, and with character you start imagining backstory and the frigid road that a hunk a hunk of brown bear cub took to get here. So aside from the fact it’s just plain insulting that 856 has been at Katmai since at least 2011 and has yet to be granted a name, it’s also such a missed opportunity given his noted habit of licking his lips. That kind of quirk simply begs for a nickname! Call him Chapstick! Call him Lickety Lips! Just call him something other than 856!! In conclusion, I say the only way to ensure a free and fair election is to have a slate of candidates who are all named. I yield back the rest of my time.
Except for one last thing — the bit about climate change causing water temperatures to rise thus threatening the ecosystem. Surely they don’t mean the same climate change the president just called “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” in front of the UN General Assembly? Because if there’s one thing this president knows, it’s con jobs.
I will have this on my iPad as background sound/viewing during work…it’s oddly soothing.
Chunk was my favorite and I campaigned for him on my social media lol. have to love a bear that has a broken jaw and a permanent disability still get nice and fat and be intimidating to other bears as well. Go Chunk!