Fat Bear Week is an annual celebration of success and survival in Katmai National Park, Alaska, where bears compete to be the fattest and healthiest. The event highlights the importance of getting fat during the waking hours to survive the harsh winter months. Rangers at Brooks Camp estimate the bears' weight using LIDAR scanning, and the public votes for their favorite bear in a single-elimination bracket. [... more]

Katmai National Park in Alaska is home to a high concentration of brown bears that enter a state of torpor during the winter months, relying on their fat reserves for survival. Fat Bear Week is an annual celebration of the bears' hard work and healthy ecosystem, where voters choose the ultimate winner in a single elimination bracket. [... more]