And instead of crowning a king, this year, a queen has won the entire competition.
This proud champion’s name is 128 Grazer, a mama bear who raised two litters of cubs. According to the National Park Service, this mom doesn’t play when it comes to protecting her babies. She “preemptively confronts and attacks much larger bears — even large and dominant adult males.”
Not only does she beat out the big and bad bear, she also defeated her challenger, known as 32 Chunk.
Chunk received a total of 23,134 votes, making him runner-up. Grazer blew him out of the salmon-filled water, by receiving 108,321 votes according to Explore.org, which tabulates the online contest for the NPS.
Grazer has been one of the lifelong residents of the Kati’s Brooks River, ever since she was spotted in 2005 as a cub. “Since then, she’s become one of the best anglers at Brooks River. She can fish successfully in many locations,” the Park Service says.
It seems the public admired her for her angering skills, as well as the fact that she was a brave and successful mama bear.
And thus, this year’s Fat Bear week at Kati National Park wraps up to a close, with all the bears becoming thick and pump, just in time for hibernation.
Photo credits- F. Jimenez/NPA Photo