Who knew that there were celebrities living in the vicinity of King Salmon, Alaska? I certainly had no idea. Have you ever heard of 32 Chunk, 128 Grazer, 151 Walker, 164, 435 Holly, 480 Otis, or 747? If you haven’t, like me, you don’t know about Fat Bear Week at Katmai National Park. It’s a celebration of the strength, success, resilience, adaptability, and survival of the bears that live around the park. With live-feed camera monitors, visitors to the park as well as an online audience vote on which bear is the biggest and best of them all. 747, a twenty-year-old critter not quite as big as a jetliner, won the competition in 2020 and 2022. Not to be outdone by that, Otis won in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2021.
Like any good beauty contest, Fat Bear Week has requirements. The bears must be seen in both Summer and Fall fishing for sockeye salmon at Brooks Falls at Katmai National Park. This park in southwest Alaska is huge, 6,391 square miles, and is home to approximately 2,200 bears. These brown bears eat as many 30 fish a day, which can be as much as 120 pounds. And, with that diet, they may gain up to four pounds a day as they prepare for hibernation beginning in October or November. By the time Spring rolls around, the bears will lose about one third of their body fat.
If the contest really interests you, you can get the full scoop online and watch live bear cams as well. The way it works is each day two bears are pitted against each other in a daily vote. Voters may choose any criteria they want to cast their ballots. It’s a single elimination event. Lose once and you’re out until the following year when you can feast on salmon all over again. At the end of all voting, on Fat Bear Tuesday, the final winner is announced.
747 will not win Fat Bear Week this year.
I don’t know who will win, but I can tell you why 747 does not have a chance. He’s still a giant among the bears, estimated to weigh in at a sizable 1,400 pounds. Perhaps two victories are enough for him? Maybe 747 doesn’t want all the attention and fame? For whatever reason, when the live-cameras were rolling and voters were casting their ballots, 747 was nowhere to be seen around Brooks River and the waterfall. No, the champion decided that he wanted to fish for his salmon on the other side of Lake Naknek.
The other side of Lake Naknek is where my sister and her husband run Naknek River Camp. Yep, that’s right, 1,400 pounds of bear spent the week wandering around and through the camp both day and night. I actually only saw him once. He was right outside the dining hall, less than thirty feet away! Fortunately, I was safe inside the building as he ambled by.
Sometimes, problem bears are shot, if you have a permit. But, nobody would dare harm a celebrity bear. 747 wandered wherever he wanted, whenever he wanted. I saw bear prints in the mud just outside the dining hall. On the path from the dining hall to the guest cabins, it was important to watch your step because bears frequently leave souvenirs that nobody wants to step in. Additionally, it was easy to see where they left the path and cleared a way through the tundra. Camp guides often leave cases of beer outside of their cabins to keep them cool. Surprisingly, it appears that bears like to slash open the cans for a late-night nightcap. Who knew?
So, it may not surprise you that I do not wander the camp at night. If I need to go anywhere, even in the daylight, eyes gaze the path around me. 747 is not a celebrity I want to meet up close and personally. I have no desire for his autograph or to get my throat slashed.
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Author's Note: When I wrote this, I thought that last week was Fat Bear Week. As it turns out, it is currently taking place. And, very fortunately for 747 and us, this mammoth creature returned to Katmai National Park. We are safe from being slashed to death and 747 is back in the running to be a champion once again.