Washington: A massive brown bear called 747 has been crowned the winner of Fat Bear Week, the annual contest in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve which tracks and honours the animal that packed on the most pounds.
A male bear, 747 is named after the giant aircraft model and, while not quite as large, he’s big. The park estimates he is at least 636 kilograms. 747 edged out female 901, who was competing for the first time, the Park Service in the northernmost US state said.
Twelve brown bears were in the running for the title, which 747 also won in 2020.
“Ultimately, 747 ripped apart the salmon - and the competition - to seize his 2nd crown as the 2022 Champion,” the park tweeted after Tuesday’s vote.
“747 was deemed an order of magnitude more massive than 901, who experienced troubling tummy turbulence enroute. 901 made a strong start in her 1st #FatBearWeek appearance. Expect big things in the future,” the park continued. Hundreds of thousands of votes were received from all over the world. (dpa)
Online visitors and bear fans could watch the bears on webcams, look at before and after photos and vote for the bear that “best exemplifies fatness.” In spring the bears are still skinny, and they have until autumn to build up fat reserves for hibernation.
Fat Bear Week aims to provide information about the ecosystem and habitat of the more than 2,000 brown bears in the subarctic region.
