The time has come again to vote on your favorite fat Alaskan bear
Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto Welcome to Fat Bear Week! . What is Fat Bear Week, you ask? It’s an annual tradition where everyone chooses the fattest, best brown bear in the region of Katmai National Park, Alaska, before these enormous bears head into hibernation.
Fat Bear Week begins today, which means you — yes, you! — can vote for one of 12 ursine chubbos and follow along as the bracket narrows until a winner is announced on October 5. Among your options are: 32 Chunk ; 534 Holly, a “toasted marshmallow”–colored mama bear; and her biological child Spring Cub, on the mend from from a porcupine-quill-related injury to his front paw.
If you’re not sure whom to vote for, the supervisors of Fat Bear Week have offered some helpful advice on metrics worthy of your consideration, including annual growth, whether or not the bear has kids to feed , and of course the most obvious: which bear is fattest. If you’re still having trouble deciding, may I suggest weighing these factors: fur shagginess, stomach curvature, lack of agility, and general handsomeness.
Have I mentioned there’s also a Fat Bear Junior week? This is the Little League of Fat Bear Week, if you will, and it is a new addition to the park’s programming this year. The winner of Fat Bear Junior week advances to compete with the big bears for the ultimate Fat Bear prize, which seems a little unfair to the cub but perhaps is a nice confidence boost. Allow me to introduce the winner, the supremely shaggy 132’s Spring Cub, whom you may now vote for in the big-bear pool.
Congratulations to this fattest bear cub! May he have a restful and plentiful hibernation. If the spirit moves you to vote in the major Fat Bear leagues seedings, you can do so here. Happy hibernating!