Katmai National Park is usually a place of quiet, brutal efficiency. But every October, the internet turns it into a gladiatorial arena where the only weapon is adipose tissue. Fat Bear Week 2024 wasn't just another year of looking at chunky brown bears and clicking a vote button on explore.org. It was a rollercoaster. We saw a dominant queen defend her throne, but we also faced a sobering reminder that these animals aren't just memes—they are apex predators living on a razor's edge.
Honestly, if you weren't following the brackets this year, you missed the most dramatic iteration of the contest since its inception in 2014. It started with a literal crime scene.
The Tragedy That Delayed the Feast
Most people expected a celebratory kickoff on October 2. Instead, the National Park Service had to hit the brakes. A somber livestream captured a fatal clash between two bears—the veteran 469 and the female 402. It was a stark, grizzly reality check. 402 was a legend in her own right, a mother of many litters, and her death right before the polls opened cast a long shadow over the festivities.
Nature is indifferent to our brackets.
Because of the incident, the start of Fat Bear Week 2024 was pushed back to October 3. It felt weird to transition from mourning a beloved bear to joking about "muffin tops" and "thunder thighs," but that’s the duality of Katmai. The delay didn't dampen the enthusiasm, though; it actually seemed to sharpen the public's appreciation for just how hard these bears work to survive.
Grazer’s Absolute Dominance
When the voting finally opened, one bear stood head and shoulders—and massive hips—above the rest. 128 Grazer. If you know anything about the Brooks River, you know Grazer is a powerhouse. She isn't just fat; she’s formidable. This year, she wasn't raising cubs, which meant every single calorie she snatched from the waterfalls went straight to her own winter storage. Usually, a mother bear has to sacrifice her own bulk to keep her offspring fed. Not Grazer. She became a literal tank.
She faced off against 901 in the finals. Now, 901 is a fan favorite, a beautiful bear with a coat that looks like a plush rug. But in terms of sheer, unadulterated mass? It wasn't even a contest. Grazer secured over 71,000 votes in the final round. 901 trailed with about 30,000.
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Why the "Fatness" Actually Matters
We call it a beauty contest, but it's really a survival metric. A bear can lose a third of its body weight during hibernation. Think about that. They aren't just sleeping; they are slowly consuming themselves to stay alive while their heart rate drops to almost nothing.
- Calories: A dominant bear at Brooks Falls can eat 40 sockeye salmon a day.
- Weight gain: We're talking about gaining four pounds of fat daily.
- Hyperphagia: This is the biological state where their brain literally tells them they are never full. They are biological eating machines.
Grazer’s win was more than a popularity contest. It was a testament to her skill at securing the best fishing spots. You don't get that big by being nice. You get that big by being the scariest bear on the river.
The Contenders Who Almost Had It
Let's talk about 747. The "Bear Force One." He’s a former champion and a literal giant. In past years, he looked like a beanbag chair with fur. But in 2024, he looked a bit more "svelte," if you can even use that word for a 1,400-pound animal. He didn't have the same gravity this year, perhaps showing his age or just a change in fishing luck.
Then there was 32 Chunk. He’s always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Chunk has this weird, blocky physique that fans love, and he’s known for his low-hanging belly. He made a good run, but he couldn't overcome the "Grazer Effect."
The bracket system is ruthless.
One day you're the king of the river, the next you're out-voted by a bear that looks like a giant golden marshmallow. The 2024 lineup was particularly competitive because the salmon run was healthy, meaning almost every bear in the bracket looked like a legitimate contender.
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Fat Bear Junior: The Next Generation
Before the main event, we had Fat Bear Junior. This is where the cubs compete, and it’s arguably cuter but just as intense. The winner was the calf of 901 (the same 901 who lost to Grazer in the big finals).
It’s a bit of a dynasty in the making.
Seeing the cubs pack on weight is a huge relief for biologists. Cub mortality is high in Katmai. If a cub isn't "rotund" by October, its chances of seeing the Alaskan spring are slim. 901’s cub looked like a fuzzy bowling ball, which is exactly what you want to see.
Misconceptions About the Contest
A lot of people think the rangers weigh the bears. They don't. Can you imagine trying to get a 1,200-pound bear onto a scale?
"Hey 747, could you just step to the left? Thanks."
Nope. It’s all visual estimation and 3D scans. Researchers use LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to create 3D models of the bears to estimate their volume. It's high-tech stuff used for a very low-tech goal: figuring out who is the widest.
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Another big misconception? That being this fat is "unhealthy." For a human, yes. For a brown bear, being lean in October is a death sentence. Their insulin levels and heart health during this period are fascinating to scientists. They are technically "obese," but they don't suffer the chronic diseases humans do. They are evolved for this extreme swing in body composition.
How to Support Katmai Beyond the Vote
The contest is fun, but the ecosystem is fragile. Fat Bear Week 2024 raised massive awareness, but awareness doesn't feed bears—salmon do. The Bristol Bay salmon fishery is one of the last great wild runs on Earth.
If you want to actually help these bears survive for 2025 and beyond, you have to look at the bigger picture. Climate change and mining interests (like the long-contested Pebble Mine) are the real threats here. The bears are doing their part by eating; we have to do our part by protecting the water.
What You Should Do Now
Don't just walk away from the bracket and forget about Katmai until next October. There are real ways to stay involved with the bears you spent a week obsessing over.
- Watch the Bearcams in the Off-Season: Explore.org keeps the cameras running even when the contest ends. You can watch the bears transition into their final "fattening" stage before they head to the dens in late November.
- Donate to the Katmai Conservancy: This is the official non-profit partner of the park. Your money goes toward trail maintenance (so humans and bears don't bump into each other) and research.
- Advocate for Bristol Bay: Stay informed on the legal battles surrounding the protection of the watershed. No salmon means no fat bears.
- Learn the Individual Bears: Visit the Katmai "BearID" wiki. It’s a deep dive into the scars, ear notches, and personalities of these animals. Once you know their stories, the contest feels much more personal.
Grazer is the queen for now, but the river never stays the same. The 2024 season showed us that while we love the "fatness," we have to respect the "bear." These are wild, dangerous, and magnificent creatures that deserve more than just a vote on a website. They deserve a habitat that allows them to get this big every single year.