On October 12th, 2023, Alaska Katmai National Park and Preserve announced to awaiting participants of the annual “Fat Bear Contest” the winner for this year’s tournament: Grazer. Over 1.4 million voters from over 100 countries voted for their favorite fat bear, and Grazer won against runner-up Chunk by 85,157 votes.
Fat Bear Week was launched in 2014 and initially began as Fat Bear Tuesday. It was created to commemorate the hibernation preparations of brown bears, and advocates for bear conservation and protection of natural habitats such as the Brooks River, located in Alaska.
Grazer is a defensive mama bear of two litters of cubs. According to the National Park Service, Grazer is a ferocious lady, often confronting and attacking much larger and more dominant adult males unprovoked. She’s known to be one of the best anglers at Brooks Rivers and the other bears tend to stay clear of her path, remembering her as the fierce mama bear that may no longer have her cubs but maintains the same fiery spirit.
