THEthe end is noble, the means fun. The competition to elect the fattest bear of the year in the Katmai Natural Park was created with the aim of introducing as many people as possible to the life of brown bears in southern Alaska. And in this ninth edition of “Fat Bear Week”, aka “Fat Bear Week”, the competition was very fierce.
Discover brown bears thanks to a “fatness contest”
The candidates were voted from home, and “weighed”. Their images “before and after” the summer binge, the one that must prepare them to face the winter thanks to the reserves of fat, are quite eloquent.
So here is the winner, the bear 747 which is, not surprisingly, the dominant male on the river. About 18 years old for 636 kilos, his face is full of scars, due to clashes with other Brooks River bears. Although as a rule, park experts say, most males don’t even try to bump into him, just look at how big he is.
These beautiful animals can be spied on thanks to theExplore.org’s live webcams, located on the banks of the Brooks River: and since the beginning of the summer they could be seen fishing and accumulating their booty. That is, up to 225kg of fresh salmon and 45 fish at a time.
Brown bears to the test … hibernation
In the final 747 clashed with 901, female about 7 years old. Which, during the summer, has invested in something greater than even its own survival. If she has refined her fishing techniques in the waters of the Brooks River, it was not only in view of winter, but also for a future gestation.
Accumulated fat stores are essential for these animals to withstand the winter months and hibernation. But the food they eat also has another “aesthetic” effect: the color of their fur tends to change according to their diet.
The brown bear population in Alaska
In Alaska they live between 30 thousand and 40 thousand brown bears, especially in coastal rainforests and northern tundra. The most majestic are precisely those of Katmai National Park, about 16 thousand square kilometers: standing can reach three meters, while the weight 500 kg (but 747 does better!). The park’s population is around 2200 brown bears – among the largest populations of this species in the world.
And as many as 93 of these brown bears, those identified with a number, such as 747 and 901, are studied as individuals by park rangers. Their biography as individuals, complete with notes on their character and their physical form, thus creates a collective biography of the population, but also of the species, which allows employees to better interpret their behavior. And it is up to us to let ourselves be fascinated.
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