Polls for the annual Fat Bear Week opened on Sept. 22, inviting the public to vote online for the Alaskan brown bear that has amassed the most weight ahead of hibernation, a quirky contest that has become a staple of internet culture.
Organisers streamed the bears as they hauled salmon from the Brooks River in Katmai National Park and provided before‑and‑after photos of each contender, allowing voters to compare the dramatic summer weight gains that sustain the animals through five months of fasting.
Chunk secured the top spot this year, beating Grazer, who had previously won the title twice, after more than a million votes were cast—a sharp rise from the few thousand participants who voted when the event launched in 2014.
Beyond the light‑hearted competition, the event aims to raise awareness of brown‑bear habitats in Alaska and the threats they face from human activity, using the popularity of the vote to spotlight conservation needs.