Fat Bear Week is quickly approaching. This special time of year marks the celebration of Alaska's fuzzy, rotund residents in Alaska's Katmai National Park Preserve. This year, however, a new segment of the competition has been added: Fat Bear Junior.
Fat Bear Junior is open to both young and mature ursids. It's a single elimination bracket tournament that determines a champion from the bear youth population. The cub crowned will then compete against their elders at the Fat Bear Week tournament.
Katmai National Park and Preserve first announced the 2021 inaugural Fat Bear Junior tournament back in August. However, we were not informed exactly which baby bears would compete. We now know that the four pudgy teddies up for the title Fat Bear Junior 2021 are Yearling 435, Spring Cub 132 and Spring Cub 909.
Personally, Spring Cub 132 is my favorite.
Spring Cub 132 Credit: Katmai National Park & Preserve
909 Spring Cub Credit: Katmai National Park & Preserve
128 Yearling Credit: Katmai National Park & Preserve
435 Yearling Credit: Katmai National Park & Preserve
Fat Bear Week began in 2014 as Fat Bear Tuesday. It was a one-day event. Fat Bear Week has evolved to a multi-day event that thousands of people enjoy every year. They eagerly cast their ballots to find the fattest bear. Katmai National Park & Preserve's brown bears indulge in salmon every year to gain weight for winter hibernation.
Fat Bear Junior's adolescent Bears feel a bit out of place in this competition. They are still growing. Brooks River's bears can be weighed and measured scientifically to determine the furry dumptruck that is the largest.
The title of Fat Bear Champion is not determined by weight alone. Fat Bear Week prides itself as a "subjective contest," which allows voters to consider other factors, such as age or extenuating circumstances.
The official Fat Bear Week website states that you can vote for the bear you believe is the biggest and fattest. Make sure you vote for your favorite candidate.
Voting for Fat Bear Junior is open Sept. 23-24, with Fat Bear Week running Sept. 29-Oct. 5.
