It’s official: America’s chunkiest bear has been crowned. Fat Bear Week 2025 wrapped up on October 1st with a dramatic final showdown between two Katmai National Park legends — Chunk, also known as Bear 32, and the veteran heavyweight Bear 856. When the votes were counted, Chunk lumbered off with the title, racking up 96,362 votes to Bear 856’s respectable 63,729.

More than 160,000 people worldwide cast ballots in an online tournament that celebrates, of all things, bear fatness. In Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve, fat isn’t a fashion faux pas — it’s a survival strategy. Little do the bears know they have fans worldwide!

3 Bears fishing for salmon. (Photo by Michelle Campanis)

A Bear with grit

Chunk’s victory is more than just a popularity contest. This year, he arrived at the Brooks River with what wildlife experts believe was a broken jaw, likely from a brawl over a mate. No veterinarians intervene for Katmai’s bears; the wild is the wild. Many thought Chunk might struggle to compete for salmon with such a serious injury.

Instead, Chunk apparently adapted. He figured out new ways to catch and consume fish, proving both his resilience and his appetite. By the end of the salmon season, he’d bulked up enough to not only survive the long Alaskan winter ahead but also win the public’s heart.

“For the first time ever, 32 ‘Chunk’ takes home the gold — or should we say red, from all those salmon,” Katmai officials quipped on Facebook.

Last year, my friend Michelle saw Chunk in person. She traveled to Katmai to camp, take in the breathtaking scenery, enjoy nature and watch bears. She was attracted to Chunk, so she took lots of pictures of him fishing. Little did she know then that he would become this year’s winner! See pictures accompanying this story.

The Challenger

His final-round opponent, Bear 856, has long been one of the park’s most dominant males. From 2011 to 2023, he ruled the riverbanks with the kind of swagger only a half ton of muscle and fur can deliver. Age has slowed him slightly, but his ability to pack on the pounds remains top-tier. This year, however, Chunk’s comeback story proved too compelling.

National spectacle

If you’re wondering why tens of thousands of people spend late September glued to bear webcams, the answer lies in the magic of Katmai. The park and Explore.com set up livestream cameras so fans worldwide can watch the bruins gorge themselves on sockeye salmon. And gorge they do. A single bear can eat more than 40 fish a day, consuming upward of 100,000 calories.

It’s not gluttony. It’s biology. A hibernating bear can lose one-third of its body weight before spring. Female bears, in particular, need at least 25 percent body fat to reproduce successfully. In short: fat bears mean healthy bears.

Salmon and survival

The competition also highlights the importance of Katmai’s salmon runs, among the healthiest in the world. Without abundant salmon, the bears wouldn’t get the calories needed to endure hibernation. Without bears, the ecosystem itself would falter. Fat Bear Week is a clever way to remind us that conservation matters.

The last word

As the National Park Service puts it: “A fat bear is a successful bear.” This year, no bear was more successful — or more beloved — than Chunk. And as winter sets in, the newly crowned champion will settle into his den with enough reserves to last until spring.

Soon, the Park and Explore.com will take down the cameras. I will miss the bears. I have spent copious amounts of time watching them for the past month. The contest may be over, but I am still watching.

What about next year? We’ll keep watching, voting, cheering, and waiting for next year’s bears to take the crown. Will Chunk return as the fattest bear? Stay tuned.

Some cameras in the park are still operating, but will be taken offline soon. Click here to see highlights:  https://explore.org/livecams/brown-bears/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls.

Melanie Staten is a public relations consultant with her husband, Vince.

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