By Lilit Marcus, CNN
Bear 901 struts proudly along the Brooks River.
Photo: Courtesy of Katmai Conservancy via CNN Newsource
September 23, 2025 marks two important holidays: Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Fat Bear Week.
Every fall, rangers at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve keep track of the brown bears who live there, noting how much weight each one gains ahead of entering their winter hibernation period. The more pounds a bear packs on, the better chance they have of surviving their six-month hibernation.
But the contest isn’t just about which bear gains the most weight.
Rather, it’s about trying to “find the bear who best exemplifies fatness and success,” as per the national park’s website.
The vote is done in a March Madness-style bracket, with winners of previous rounds going up against each other until only one chonker remains. While there is a separate contest, Fat Bear Junior, for younger bears, Fat Bear Week is the main event.
“You can vote for the bear who is fattest, you can vote for the bear whose story touches your heart – it’s up to you,” Naomi Boak, a media ranger for Katmai National Park, told CNN’s Polo Sandoval. “The bears don’t know who you voted for.”
This year’s crop of ultra-ursines include two previous winners: 32 Chunk, a mammoth male who is hoping to make a comeback after a broken jaw and 128 Grazer, a fearsome fisher who won the Fat Bear Week crown in 2023 and 2024 and whose cub just snagged the Fat Bear Week junior title.
Before-and-after photos show Bear 602’s progress this year.
Photo: Courtesy of Katmai Conservancy via CNN Newsource
Other hopefuls are 503, an up-and-coming male who has showed a remarkable ability to get along with others, 26, a female who is devotedly raising cubs after losing a previous litter, and 602, whose tendency to nap in the river mid-fishing expedition has garnered comparisons to Homer Simpson and the nickname “flotato”.
Voting begins at 9am EST on Tuesday (local time), and the winner will be announced on 30 September.
There’s some good news ahead of this year’s contest. Boak reports that the bears had more salmon than ever before to feast on in the Brooks River this year.
Sunday with Otis! The King looks good! pic.twitter.com/gnq2aR24kB
— explore.org (@exploreorg) October 1, 2023
In addition to casting their votes, bear lovers can donate to The Otis Fund, whose proceeds go toward protecting Katmai National Park and Preserve, which is the fourth-largest national park in the United States.
It is named in honor of Otis, the renowned chonkster who was the recipient of the first-ever Fat Bear Week title in 2014 and went on to win the crown again in 2016, 2017 and 2021. He has not been seen in several years and is presumed dead, but his legacy lives on.
“He was our Zen master,” Boak said about Otis. “He was recorded catching 42 fish in an hour. He deserved to be champion.”
Reigning champion 128 Grazer is ready to defend her title.
Photo: Courtesy of Katmai Conservancy via CNN Newsource
Now in its 11th year, Fat Bear Week actually began as Fat Bear Tuesday in 2014. To the happy surprise of park rangers, about 1700 people voted for their favorite bears.
That spurred Katmai staff to expand the event to last a full week, adding regular updates, a “Hall of Champions,” and a live feed on their website.
Compare that to 2024, where more than 1.4 million people from 60 countries cast votes, according to Boak.
“It’s grown enormously,” she said. “Like the bears.”
– CNN