Bear 89, affectionately known as Backpack, has won Alaska’s Fat Bear Week after defeating Dancing Queen by 5,000 votes.
He is big, chunky, and officially this year’s Fat Bear Week champion.
Voting for the annual competition began on September 22 and ended on September 29. More than 2.5 million votes came in during the tournament. The final round alone received over 200,000 votes.
Throughout the week, fans watched brown bears at Alaska’s Katmai National Park feast on wild salmon. The bears eat as much as possible to build up fat before their winter hibernation.
Hefty runs in the family
Backpack may have inherited his impressive size from his mother.
The US Department of the Interior announced his victory on social media platform X. The department joked, “He got it from his mama.”
Backpack’s mother, Holly, also known as the “Duchess of Density,” won Fat Bear Week in 2019.
Holly nearly won the title again in 2022. However, officials removed her from the competition after a vote-rigging scandal affected that year’s contest.
Backpack’s victory now adds another Fat Bear Week title to the family.
The Interior Department also gave Bear 89 some memorable titles. These included “Lord of Lard,” “Earl of Girth,” and “Commander in Beef.”
Who is Backpack?
While formally named Bear 89, Katmai park rangers gave 20-year-old Backpack his nickname due to his habit of climbing on her mother’s back as a cub.
A serious leg injury in 2007 left Backpack with a limp, but the strong-willed bear adapted his lifestyle, as he is often seen lounging on his favorite rock by Brooks River instead of fighting with his fellow bears.
“He’s one of the bears that we’ve been able to watch on the live cams since the live cams were put in in 2012,” said Katmai park ranger Sarah Bruce, adding that Backpack — now weighing a whopping 1,200 pounds or 544 kilograms — benefitted from his large fanbase.
“He’s a familiar bear. People have watched him his whole life,” she noted.
What is Fat Bear Week?
Fat Bear Week is an annual tournament celebrating the success of brown bears residing in Katmai National Park, Alaska, to fatten up ahead of their winter hibernation.
Every year, from summer to early autumn, the bears of Katmai will eat as much wild salmon as they want to bulk up. They will then spend five long months without eating or drinking as they protect themselves from the harsh Alaskan winter.
Fans of Fat Bear Week are given the chance to cast their votes on the explore.org website, where before and after photos of each bear can be viewed for reference.
Ultimately, the goal of Fat Bear Week is to raise awareness about brown bears and their Alaskan habitats.
“They have already won in the fact that they are set to survive another winter hibernation. They win all of the love,” said Bruce.
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