Fat Bear Week has a winner! 128 Grazer - a defensive mother bear and first-time winner of the title - beats out favorite 32 Chunk for the title
- Bear 128 Grazer was crowned the winner of Fat Bear Week 2023
- The competition in Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve pitted the burliest bears against each other
- Grazer swept the competition bringing 108,321 votes, runner-up 32 Chuck received 23,134
Beefy beauty 128 Grazer brought home the gold in this years Fat Bear Week competition, snagging the title from last year's winner Bear 747.
The annual competition in Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve pitted the burliest bears against each other to see who could put on the most weight before hibernation.
Fat Bear Week is a bracket style contest where the public gets to vote for their favorite bear. This years champion, 128 Grazer, diminished the competition with a whopping 108,321 votes.
Grazer is a protective mother bear with a long straight muzzle and brown ears. In the late summer and fall her coat turns a light brown and she often becomes one of the fattest bears on the Brooks River.
This years runner-up was 32 Chuck, a plump male brown bear with a distinctive scar on his muzzle, received 23,134 votes.
Fat Bear Week winner 128 Grazer (pictured) is a large adult female with a long straight muzzle and blond ears
Grazer is a fierce mother bear who has successfully raised two litters of cubs and will attack much larger males to protect them
The burly mama bear was first introduced to Brooks River as a cub in 2005. She has since built as reputation as one of the best anglers on the water.
She has successfully raised two litters of cubs and is often caught on camera attacking larger bears to ensure her children's safety.
'Grazer’s combination of skill and toughness makes her one of Brooks River’s most formidable, successful, and adaptable bears,' said Explore.org.
Let's take a look at 2023's finalist:
Runner-up 32 Chunk
This years runner-up 32 Chunk is described as a 'large adult male with narrowly-set eyes, a prominent brow ridge, and a distinctive scar across his muzzle.'
He has a puzzling personality and would sometimes play with other bears rather than fish. He has grown to be more confident and used his size to his advantage
Chunk is described as a 'large adult male with narrowly-set eyes, a prominent brow ridge, and a distinctive scar across his muzzle.'
First identified in 2007 at 2.5-years-old, he presented with a puzzling personality. He would play with other bears and wait to scavenge for salmon rather than challenge other males.
In 2023, Chunk packed on the pounds and became one of the most dominant males on the river. Even 2022 Fat Bear Week champ Bear 747 deferred fishing spots to him.
'Chunk has gained the confidence and ability to take advantage of opportunities not available to most other bears,' said Explore.org.
'His low hanging belly and ample hindquarters bear the fruit of his summer success.'
435 Holly
Bear 435 Holly is said to resemble the 'shape and color of a lightly toasted marshmallow' whose life has been colored by 'hardship, surprises, and success
Holly was also the 2019 Fat Bear Week champion. She raised an injured yearling cub in 2007 and adopted a lone yearling cub into her family in 2014
Holly is a large adult female who is said to resemble the shape and color of a 'lightly toasted marshmallow,' lost to Grazer in the semifinals.
She previously won Fat Bear week in 2019 and has lived a life of hardship, surprises and success.
While she is currently single, she has raised several successful cubs and even adopted two yearling cubs into her family.
'Holly has shown that experience and an ability to adapt lead to longevity and success for brown bears,' Explore.org said.
Bear 901
Bear 901 is a medium-sized adult female with 'blond-rimmed, triangular ears.' She was a runner-up in 2022's Fat Bear Week
In the summer she returned to Brooks Falls with three cubs, but in mid-September one of them disappeared
901 is a female medium-sized adult brown bear, first identified as a 2.5-year-old in 2018, who lost to Chunk in the semifinals.
This summer has not be easy for her. She returned to Brooks River with three spring cubs, but in mid-September one of them disappeared.
Explore.org said raising cubs is difficult for first time mothers and she expressed a lot of caution over the summer.
'She most often used the river mouth area where fewer bears are present instead of making frequent trips to Brooks Falls, likely to provide her cubs with more safety.'
Bear 747
2022 champ Bear 747 is a large adult male who frequently sports scars and wounds on his face and neck
At over 20 years old, he has faced competition from younger bears but remains an elite fisher
2022's champion, Bear 747 is a large adult male with a blocky muzzle and floppy ears who lost to Grazer in the quarterfinals.
First identified in 2004 as a small young bear, he has grown to become a giant on the river, once estimated to weigh 1,400 pounds.
Explore.org said: 'He is a skilled and efficient angler who is found fishing most often in the jacuzzi or near the far pool of Brooks Falls.'
Now over 20-years-old, his fishing skills still remain elite but he faced competition from a younger generation.
806 Spring Cub
806 Spring Cub (pictured) is a first-year cub with long and shaggy brown fur
On several occasions he has strayed from his mother, but the two always reunited and it has paid off for his growth
This first-year male cub with long, shaggy brown fur lost to Chunk in the quarterfinals.
While many mothers shy away from fishing near Brooks Falls, 806 did not and it paid of for her spring cub.
Although on several occasions he strayed from his mother, the two were always able to reunite.
In July, his mother fell as she caught a fish, which left the cub alone. While she was gone an adult male tried to attack him.
However, she quickly returned and was able to defend him.
'His story showcases the risk and reward that bears find at Brooks Falls,' said Explore.org.
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