Odd News

Fat Bear Week celebrates the bulky bruins of Alaska

By Ben Hooper   |   Oct. 5, 2022 at 1:57 PM

Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Katmai National Park & Preserve's annual Fat Bear Week has arrived, with fans of bulky bruins being called upon to vote for their favorite of the park's hibernation-preparing residents.

Fat Bear fans can browse the competitors on the Alaska park's Flickr page and cast their votes at FatBearWeek.com each day from noon to 9 p.m. EDT to choose the winning bear in a March Madness-style bracket competition.

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"Fat Bear Week is a celebration of success and survival. It is a way to celebrate the resilience, adaptability and strength of Katmai's brown bears," the park said on its website.

The annual event started as Fat Bear Tuesday in 2014 and expanded into a weeklong Fat Bear Week tournament in 2015. The lighthearted competition celebrates Katmai's brown bears as they pack on the pounds in preparation for their winter hibernation.