Grazer won her second Fat Bear Contest by defeating Chunk, the bear that killed her cub earlier in the summer. Fans watched live cameras at explore.org to cast over 40,000 votes in the tournament-style bracket competition. The contest celebrates the bears’ winter preparedness as they accumulate fat by feeding on salmon in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. Grazer’s cub died after slipping over a waterfall and being killed by Chunk, the dominant bear on the river. Another female bear, Bear 402, was also killed by a male bear, delaying the release of the bracket. Grazer, known for her blonde ears and fearlessness, fought to save her cub but it later died. Chunk, with a distinctive scar on his muzzle, is one of the largest bears on the river and secured prime fishing spots this year. The annual contest aims to celebrate the resilience of the 2,200 brown bears that live in the preserve on the Alaska Peninsula, where tourists can watch them fish for salmon from viewing stands. Brown bears typically weigh 600 to 900 pounds in mid-summer but can exceed 1,000 pounds after feasting on salmon before hibernation.
Photo credit
www.nbcnews.com
