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Gentle giant Backpack declared winner of Alaska’s Fat Bear Week
Backpack won with more than 100,000 votes after edging Bear 910 in one of the closest Fat Bear Week finals, organizers said.
- On Tuesday, September 29, Bear #89, known as Backpack, was crowned the 2026 Fat Bear Week champion after Katmai National Park and Preserve's online single-elimination tournament concluded.
- The 12th annual competition featured 16 bears competing in a bracket-style tournament, with fans casting more than 2.5 million votes to select which bear best exemplified fatness and success.
- Backpack narrowly defeated runner-up Bear #910 in the final round, securing 103,334 votes to her 98,253, according to Explore.org data.
- Katmai National Park officials dubbed the champion a "CHONKION" and honored the bears' resilience, noting how the competition connects global audiences to the park's thriving ecosystem.
- The bears will shortly enter winter hibernation, during which they do not eat or drink and can lose one-third of their body weight, relying entirely on stored fat reserves.
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Backpack, Chunk, Dancing Queen: The bears are back on the Internet again. On the way to the winter rest the brown bears of Alaska have eaten plenty of bacon. But only one could win.
·Hamburg, Germany
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BT+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
An annual competition in an American national park aims to raise awareness about the living conditions of bears.
·Borås, Sweden
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Bear number 89 named Backpack ran away with the victory this year.
·Copenhagen, Denmark
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BROWN bear 89 Backpack won the annual Fattest Bear Week competition.
·Zagreb, Croatia
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Total News Sources116
Leaning Left30Leaning Right12Center64Last UpdatedBias Distribution61% Center
Bias Distribution
- 61% of the sources are Center
61% Center
L 28%
C 61%
11%
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