Backpack wins Fat Bear Week in online public vote
The Katmai contest’s 12th edition drew more than 100,000 votes, with Bear 89 narrowly beating Bear 910 in the final.
Backpack, also known as Bear 89, has won Alaska’s Fat Bear Week, defeating Bear 910 in the final poll. The nonprofit running the annual contest announced the result on Tuesday evening after voting closed.
Backpack received more than 100,000 votes and just over half of the final poll. The contest involved 16 bears in an online, single-elimination bracket, with the public choosing a favourite.
Fat Bear Week began in 2014 as a public engagement initiative about brown bears and their preparation for winter hibernation. Katmai National Park and Preserve is home to about 2,200 brown bears, and the contest features bears that frequent the Brooks River.
Backpack is the son of former champion Holly. His name refers to his habit of climbing onto her back as a cub. Last year’s winner, Chunk, also known as Bear 32, was eliminated in the first round this year.
The contest also included five bear families, amid a record number of families and cubs at the river this summer. Its result reflects online public voting; the source did not provide an independently verified weight for Backpack.
