Don’t hibernate on this annual competition

Don’t hibernate on this annual competition Every year, the bears of Katmai National Park prepare for hibernation — with an audience. This writer says tuning in to the competition is well worth it. Robert F. Tobler Categories: Opinions Don’t hibernate on this annual competition Abbie Carroll, Opinions Editor • Oct 8, 2026 For the past twelve years, Katmai National Park in Alaska has held a grizzly competition where the resident bears battle to be crowned the Fat Bear Week champion. Fat Bear Week started in 2014, when park ranger Mike Fitz noticed increased foot traffic on the park’s bear live stream — specifically, how bearcam viewers were tracking the bears and posting before-and-after photos as they prepared for hibernation. Fitz created Fat Bear Tuesday as a way to highlight the significant weight gain many of the residents of Katmai National Park went through. The winner of the first-ever Fat Bear celebration was bear 480, or Otis. However, Fat Bear Tuesday was just one day to highlight all of the bears; it then grew into a week-long March Madness-style event. Otis was a Fat Bear Champion for many years, being crowned champion in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2021. I love Fat Bear Week. I have participated in it for the past three years as a voter and an observer. This year, however, was the first year I put a bracket together. Yes, you can fill out a bracket of bears through their website.  It isn’t just about voting on fat bears and bringing tourists to the park. Fat Bear Week brings awareness to the hibernation cycle of brown bears in a way that is exciting. Instead of being lectured about bear hibernation, you can vote on your favorite fat bear and watch them prepare for hibernation.  My favorite part of the competition is the stories. Every bear has an identification number and some have been given nicknames by either park rangers or internet spectators. The other thing all bears have is a story. On Explore.org, you can read about each competitor, including when they were first spotted in the park and whether they have won Fat Bear Week in the past. They also have the bears’ stories.  A good example is last year’s winner, Chunk. Over the summer of 2025, Chunk was injured with a broken jaw. The park doesn’t know how it happened, but they can assume it was due to a fight with another bear. Now that he is healed, his wonky snout is a staple in Katmai. On Sept. 29, after a long voting process, Bear 89, or Backpack, was named the 2026 Fat Bear Week Champion! Even though Fat Bear Week is over, you can always tune in next September to see these bears start their journey again. You can also tune into the live bear cam feed on Katmai’s website to check in with your favorite bear all year long.  View Story Comments 0 Like This Story Share on Facebook Share on X Email this Story Print this Story Leave a Comment Donate to The Times-Delphic Your donation will support the student journalists of Drake University and help us maintain our website. Donate More to Discover More in Opinions To defend — or dispute — the validity of science? Staying at the table It’s time to fix our vending machines On today’s menu: Tips for surviving Hubbell Forget vinyls, start a CD collection instead Reopened Dogtown restaurant is ‘Dee-Licious’ About the Contributor Abbie Carroll, Opinions Editor Abbie is a junior studying Secondary Education with endorsements in All Social Sciences and English as well as History. This is her second year as the Opinions Editor for The Times-Delphic. When she isn’t in the classroom or the newsroom, you can likely find her reading or trying a new recipe.