Fat Bear Week has kicked off at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Step away from the pressures of the world and appreciate some of the most iconic bears in U.S. history. We invite you to unwind and observe this year’s Fat Bear Week contenders.
For those who may not know, Fat Bear Week is an annual event that takes place in late September and early October. (Imagine Shark Week, but with a kinder twist.) At the beginning of the year, Katmai’s brown bears wake from hibernation and are captured on camera in their slender, post-hibernation figures. A season of dormancy and fasting has them looking quite thin. As the season progresses, the bears dine and increase in mass. During the salmon migration, they indulge in calorie-rich salmon to prepare for the colder months ahead. Some bears can pack on over 1,000 pounds in a single year.
Each year around this time, they are photographed once more, now plump and ready for hibernation. Katmai National Park and Preserve hosts Fat Bear Week, giving folks an opportunity to vote for their preferred hefty bears before they settle in for winter. Voters are encouraged to become acquainted with the bears first, and you can discover more about them on the National Park Service’s Explore.org site.
I particularly admire Chunk. He suffered a jaw injury, a condition he’s lived with since Katmai brown bears do not receive veterinary treatment. Nevertheless, Chunk relearned how to consume salmon and continues to be one of the largest bears in the park. Go Chunk!
Fat Bear Week: Join the livestreams for all the bear fun
There are eight live streams available to watch the bears fishing. This includes seven river views and one underwater camera showcasing salmon swimming upstream, occasionally capturing bears walking or swimming by.
The live streams can be found online through the National Parks Service Explore website and YouTube. Here are the links to each Fat Bear Week livestream on YouTube:
Brooks Falls
Brooks Falls 2nd View
River Watch
Riffles
Kat’s River View
Naknek River
Brooks Camp area
Underwater Salmon Cam
The streams are complimentary and operate nearly all the time (night vision kicks in after dark), so you can check on the bears anytime, day or night.