AssetID: 55136497
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Top Contenders Battle It Out For Fat Bear Week's Ultimate Prize
Caption: Top Contenders Battle It Out For Fat Bear Week's Ultimate Prize. Alaska's tubbiest ursines have been fighting it out once again as 2025 Fat Bear Week reaches its climax at the end of September. The much-loved competition pits bears in the U.S.'s northernmost state against each other in a public vote to decide who has put on the most weight ahead of their winter hibernation. Now in its 11th year, the celebration of brown bear resilience and survival is a single-elimination tournament. Fat Bear Week has grown from a little-known, one-day event with 1,700 votes in 2014 to a worldwide celebration of Katmai's bears. About 1.2 million votes were cast from more than 100 countries in Fat Bear Week 2024. Last year, bear 128, known as Grazer, won her second Fat Bear Week championship and became the first mother bear to win. She's raising a yearling cub in 2025 but still made the semis, where she will meet the unnamed Bear 856. Another bear with a backstory is number 32, Chunk, who broke his jaw in late spring. Despite the pain and hardship he experienced, Chunk showcased his adaptability and resilience to remain one of the river's largest and most dominant bears. The reward for his hard work is his own semi-final berth against Bear 602.
Keywords: Natural World,contenders,bear,bears,prize,Alaska,tubbiest,ursines,Fat Bear Week,competition,public vote,weight,winter,hibernation,brown bear,votes,Grazer,Chunk,reward
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