After a week of fierce competition, Bear 910 and Backpack have emerged as the final contenders to be named the heftiest bear of Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve.
All voting is done online at www.fatbearweek.org , and a winner will be declared Tuesday evening after the final poll closes. The public can watch the bears on explore.org’s livestream cameras before deciding on their favorite. In mid-July, one of her cubs became separated from the family for several days, wandering the river corridor alone. They were reunited a few days later. ___
Last year’s winner, Chunk — known officially as Bear 32 — clinched his victory at an estimated 1,200 pounds. He was handily defeated in the first round of competition this year by Bucky, who went on to lose a faceoff against Backpack, known officially as Bear 89. The event this year featured 16 bears vying for the heavyweight title in a single-elimination, bracket-style tournament. Bear 132 has become one of the largest and most experienced mother bears at Brooks River, according to the nonprofit’s contestant profiles.
