Backpack (Bear 89) wins Fat Bear Week at Katmai National Park

The useful part

[explore.org via AP] By AP Published On 30 Sep 2026 30 Sep 2026 After a week of fierce competition, Backpack emerged victorious as Fat Bear Week champion, the heftiest bear in Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 Hunting endangered animals in the jungles of Myanmar list 2 of 3 India's lion numbers soar: Fat Bear Week was started in 2014 as an interactive way to inform the public about brown bears, the coastal cousins of grizzlies.

How it works

• This September 9, 2026 photo provided by the National Park Service shows Bear 910 standing along the Brooks River in Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska [C.
• The public could watch the bears on explore.org's livestream cameras before deciding on their favourite.
• "Unlike many large adult male bears, Backpack hasn't shown much aggression toward his competitors," his contestant profile reads.
• Bears may each eat as many as 30 fish a day this time of year, working hard to eat a year's worth of food in about six months.
• Last year's winner, Chunk — known officially as Bear 32 — clinched his victory at an estimated 1,200 pounds.

What to take from it

He was handily defeated in the first round of competition this year by Bucky, who went on to lose a face-off against Backpack, known officially as Bear 89. Loberg/National Park Service via AP] The event this year featured 16 bears vying for the heavyweight title in a single-elimination, bracket-style tournament. All voting is done online, and the winner was declared on Tuesday evening after the final poll closed.

Example or evidence

• It is there that they can stuff themselves to accumulate the fat reserves they will need to survive the winter.
• To be featured in the contest, the bears must frequent the area around the river.
• Son of ex-champion Backpack is the son of former Fat Bear Week champion Holly, who introduced him to the Brooks River when he was a first-year cub in 2006.
• His name was inspired by his habit of climbing onto his mother's back when they swam the river.

Details worth keeping

8, 2026, in the Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. The nonprofit running the longstanding contest announced on Tuesday that the bear, known for his pacifist nature, was the winner with more than 100,000 votes, giving him a close win over Bear 910 with just over 50 percent of the poll. This year's fans cheered on Backpack in the contest's Instagram comments, noting his lineage and reputation as a gentle giant.

Related coverage

• Wsls: After a week of fierce competition, Backpack emerged victorious as Fat Bear Week champion, the heftiest bear of Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve.
• Nbcdfw: After a week of fierce competition, Backpack emerged victorious as Fat Bear Week champion, the heftiest bear of Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve.
• Ksnt: The bear, known for his pacifist nature, was the winner with more than 100,000 votes.
• Ksn: The bear, known for his pacifist nature, was the winner with more than 100,000 votes.
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