There can be only one — and they shall be rotund. The brown bears of Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska have been plumping themselves up, to prepare for a new hibernation season.
"The Bristol Bay ecosystem and watershed is really one of the last remaining healthy sockeye salmon runs in the world," said media ranger Naomi Boak of Katmai National Park and Preserve."The Bristol Bay ecosystem and watershed is really one of the last remaining healthy sockeye salmon runs in the world," said media ranger Naomi Boak of Katmai National Park and Preserve."We have some of the largest bears on the planet," she added.
With a limited timeframe, the bears pack on weight quickly — and when they're young, it's even more dramatic. The Brooks River bears attract around 10 million virtual visitors to Explore.org's bear cams each year. Last year, more than 1 million people voted for their favorite fat bear."We really love that children and teachers follow the bears," Boak said. There's even a"You can follow the bears for years and really get to know their lives and their personalities and their soap operas," Boak said.
"We had 36 cubs arrive here this year," Boak said. For context, she said that in a normal season, the area would likely see a total of around 100 bears."We don't discriminate by age," Boak said, noting that if a bear is living independent of its mother, it can be in the contest.contest precedes Fat Bear Week, giving cubs a chance to strut their stuff.
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