Alaska Celebrates its Fattest Bears During Fat Bear Week

During a summer feeding frenzy, the brown bears in Katmai National Park can grow to an enormous size. Katmai National Park rangers celebrate this feat annually by hosting Fat Bear Week. 

Sixteen bears in this year's contest will vie for the title as Fat Bear Week kicks off.  KTNA’s Colleen Love has more.

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This week is Fat Bear Week. Fat Bear Week is where Alaskans have the opportunity to learn about the individual bears who feed at the Brooks River in Katmai National Park. During Fat Bear Week, the public votes for the bear that they think has put on the most summer weight.

Voting runs from September 22nd and continues through Fat Bear Tuesday, on September 29th. That’s the day that the 2026 Fat Bear Champion will be announced.  

Fat Bear Week began in 2014 while Katmai National Park Service Ranger, Mike Fitz, was monitoring the park's live-feed camera.  A fan posted two different photos of the same bear. The first photo was taken in June and featured a skinny bear. The second photo was taken in September, where the same bear appeared massive.

Inspired by the transformation of the bear, Fitz saw a fun way to teach people about brown bear health and the necessity of becoming as fat as possible.

 “Fat is the fuel that powers a brown bear’s wintertime survival.  Fat Bear Week is our opportunity to consider the challenges bears face in order to survive and ponder the reasons they get fat to survive.”

Initially, Fitz and his fellow rangers hosted a one-day voting event on Facebook. The public’s response was tremendous and first bear crowned was a bear named, 480 - Otis. 

In 2015, the park expanded the Fat Bear contest into a week-long event. Rangers choose the contenders based on photos taken by park service cameras that monitor bear activity throughout the summer.

Fitz now dedicates much of his time to the Fat Bear website, explore.org, educating the public about the importance of protecting the habitat of the bears.

“Katmai is a rich landscape for bears because its land and water provide them with so much food.  A bear’s ability to survive winter without eating or drinking is a special feat of endurance. Each bear in Fat Bear Week is a specimen of success and a reflection of the habitat that supports them.”

Photos and bios of the the 2026 Fat Bear contestants and instructions on how to vote can be found on explore.org. 

For KTNA, I’m Colleen Love.