The winner of Fat Bear Week has been announced, and this year’s champion is 128 Grazer, a brown bear with a history of excellence in the competition. Having claimed the title last year, Grazer’s victory this time carries a bittersweet note, as her cub was recently lost to her rival, 32 Chunk.
This exciting competition, now a decade-old tradition, invites viewers to engage with live cameras at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve, allowing people to witness the bears as they feast on salmon in preparation for winter.
In a recent post on X, Explore.org, the organization behind the event, highlighted Grazer as “the first working mom to ever be crowned champion,” marking a significant milestone for a bear known for her resilient spirit.
Earlier this year, tragedy struck for Grazer when two of her cubs were swept over a waterfall, falling victim to 32 Chunk, the dominant male bear in the area. One of the cubs later succumbed to its injuries. Despite these heart-wrenching challenges, Grazer demonstrated incredible strength and determination during the Fat Bear Week competition, ultimately receiving over 71,000 votes—more than double that of Chunk.
At 20 years old, Grazer is raising her third litter, and her profile describes her as a highly defensive mother bear. It notes that “her fearless nature is respected by other bears who often choose to give her space instead of risking a confrontation,” elevating her status within the bear hierarchy, second only to the largest males.
However, this year’s Fat Bear Week began on a somber note, as the competition was delayed by a day following the on-camera death of a female bear at the hands of a male.
Every year, twelve bears are selected for the Fat Bear Week competition, allowing fans from all around the world to cast their votes online. In 2023, Grazer emerged victorious once again, amidst nearly 1.4 million votes from over 100 countries, as reported by the Katmai Conservancy and Explore.org.
