She “stuffed her face” and won. Meet The Newest Fat Bear Week Champion!
Congratuations to our newest Queen and champion, 128 Grazer. You’re the fattest bear of 2023!
Each year, the Explore.org and the National Park Service runs an awesome competition, Fat Bear Week, to crown the fattest bear in Alaska. It’s a fun and spirited competition, between Alaskan brown bears who are bulking up for their winter hibernation.
The final two Fat Bear Week contenders were 128 Grazer and 32 Chunk. In the end, it wasn’t even close. 128 Grazer won with 108,321 votes to 32 Chunk’s 23,134.
This is what the National Park Service IG account wrote about the champ!
She’s beauty and she’s grace, she stuffed so much salmon in her face.
You will wear the crown, be the crown! You ate the crown!?! 👑 Congrats to the 2023 #FatBearWeek champion, 128 Grazer! With a dominant performance (We haven’t seen a walk like that since Jurassic Park), Grazer’s resilience and strength is the epitome of Katmai’s brown bears.
Hey, I’m gliding here! Grazer’s combination of skill and toughness makes her one of Brooks River’s most formidable, successful, and adaptable bears, who is well prepared for winter.
Thanks again to this year’s competing bears, the salmon who made it all possible, @katmainpp, the @katmaiconservancy, @exploreorg, and all of YOU who championed your favorite bears.
Image: Winner winner, salmon dinner! Bear 128 Grazer standing in rushing water. NPS/ Jimenez
Final Fat Bear Week Bracket Results
In preparation for hibernation, some bears may eat up to 90 pounds of food per day. Glazer, it seems, may be gorging much more than that to be the Fat Bear Week champion.
Seeing these bears up close, no matter at the beginning of the season, or later during Fat Bear Week, is an incredible opportunity and experience. I strongly recommend anyone who has the ability to take a trip to Alaska, do it.
You’ll never forget the feeling being near something so gentle, yet powerful. Bear watching in Lake Clark National Park was one of the coolest opportunities I’ve ever had and one I can’t wait to do again!
Until next time, adventurers, take care and be safe.
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