'Bear Force One' is crowned winner of Fat Bear Week 2020: Grizzly number 747 trounces Chunk to 'take home' top prize
The winner of Fat Bear Week 2020 has been declared, with 747 trouncing fan favorite Chunk in the final round of the popular internet competition.
The annual online tournament, which takes place each October, requires voters to choose which Katmai National Park bear had piled on the most pounds over the summer.
Winner 747 was a worthy champion, the Alaskan national park said in a statement on Tuesday, with the brown bear garnering a whopping 47,055 votes in comparison to Chunk's 21,854.
'747 really packed on the pounds, looking like he was fat enough to hibernate in July and yet continuing to eat until his belly seemed to drag along the ground by late September,' the park said.
While 747 is known only by his number, fans have now proposed he be named 'Bear Force One' or 'Bearing 747'.
The winner of Fat Bear Week 2020 has been declared, with 747 trouncing fan favorite Chunk in the final round of the popular internet competition. 747 is seen in his 'before' and 'after' photos
The competition is organized by the Alaska's Katmai Conservancy, with employees taking photos of the animals each June before they gorge themselves on salmon ahead of winter hibernation.
The 'before' photos are then contrasted with snaps of the bears at the end of the summer, with users subsequently deciding which one has fattened up most effectively.
Katmai, a 4 million-acre park sprawling over mountains, lakes, streams and coastline, is famous for having the world's densest population of brown bears.
Within Katmai, the Brooks River is a prime place for brown bears to feast, with the animals congregating there in summer to snatch salmon swimming upstream.
Chunk (also listed as Bear No. 32) was a fan favorite. However, his impressive weight gain failed to bring him victory in this year's competition
Bears are seen feasting on salmon at Katmai National Park's Brooks River
Fat Bear Week is an annual online tournament which takes place each October, requiring people to choose which Katmai National Park bear has put on the most weight over the summer. This year's schedule is pictured
This year, the river saw a record salmon run, park officials Naomi Doak told Reuters.
The Brooks River usually sees about 500 human visitors each day in summertime, but the coronavirus pandemic kept crowds away this year - further optimizing feasting time for the Fat Bears.
'The combination of the big salmon run and fewer people, this has really handed the river to the bears,' Doak stated.
The bears can consume up to 100,000 calories per day.
Bear 812 (left, in June, and right, in September). 812 has grizzled brown fur and crescent shaped ears. Behaviorally, 812 can be identified by his tendency to lick his lips frequently and use rocks as a platform to eat salmon. He will often extend a front leg forward when fishing on the lip of the falls
Bear 480 (left June, right September). Bear 480 'Otis' is a medium-large adult male with blond and brown fur in early summer. By autumn, his coat becomes grizzled and he sports a patch of lighter fur on his left shoulder
Fat Bear Week has been running for several years and has helped put Katmai National Park on the map.
'There are fans who can recite the history of the competition just as there are sports fans who can chronicle championships regardless of where their teams finish,' Amber Kraft, interpretation and education program manager at Katmai, stated.
'We have had teachers tell us they are using it with students in their classrooms, folks filling out brackets for friendly competition in their offices and work places, as well as bars and folks missing sports playing along for the thrill of what will happen next.
'We hope that people come away from the week with an understanding and appreciation for the importance of wild places like Katmai National Park and Preserve and work to preserve and save these resources.'
Bear 32 'Chunk' (left June, right September) is a large adult male with narrowly-set eyes and a prominent brow ridge. Even at his leanest, Chunk carries substantial fat reserves, especially on his hind quarters. In early summer he tends to shed much of the fur around his shoulders and neck. This gives him a two-toned appearance and exposes numerous scars and wounds. By late summer, his newly grown fur is dark brown
Bear 909 (June left, September right). Bear 909 is a young female with grizzled brown fur. 909 was first identified as an independent two-year-old bear in 2018. She's tolerant and playful of other bears, and she shares many behaviors with her mother and former Fat Bear Week champion, 409 Beadnose