Backpack wins Alaska's Fat Bear Week with more than 100,000 votes
Backpack, a famously calm adult male bear, won Fat Bear Week with just over 50 per cent of the vote.
A brown bear named Backpack has won Alaska's Fat Bear Week contest, crowned champion by more than 100,000 voters. The bear, officially registered as Bear 89, narrowly beat Bear 910 with just over half the vote.
Backpack is known for his rare gentle nature among adult males and rarely shows aggression toward rivals. Backpack is the son of former champion Holly, who introduced him to the Brooks River when he was a first-year cub in 2006.
Fat Bear Week celebrates the 2,200 brown bears living in Katmai National Park and how they bulk up each summer on abundant salmon to survive winter hibernation. The contest, now in its 12th year, lets the public vote online and watch bears live on camera before deciding their favourite.
- more than 100,000
- Total votes
- just over 50 per cent
- Vote share
- 2,200
- Bears in park
- 12 years
- Contest age
Why it mattersIt's a rare public win for a bear famous for not fighting, and it shows how a gentle approach can thrive in the wild.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect, but it's the kind of feel-good wildlife story that resonates with Australians who follow conservation and nature.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
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