Backpack edges past Dancing Queen to win the Fat Bear Week title

Backpack, a 20-year-old brown bear from Alaska's Katmai National Park, has won the annual Fat Bear Week tournament. The competition celebrates the bears' ability to consume large amounts of fish to prepare for winter hibernation. Backpack, known for his solitary nature and a past leg injury, narrowly defeated his competitor, Dancing Queen, in a public online vote. Over 2.3 million votes were cast overall, with more than 200,000 in the final round. This victory marks a significant achievement for Backpack, who has been observed by park visitors via live cams since 2012. The tournament highlights the park's bear population and their successful fattening process for survival.

Brown bear 89 Backpack has won the annual Fat Bear Week competition, held by Katmai National Park in Alaska. In the final round, Backpack narrowly defeated bear 910 with 103,344 votes to 98,253. The competition, now in its thirteenth year, celebrates the bears' success in fattening up before hibernation. Backpack's victory was attributed to his size, skill, and strategic loafing, though some voters favored 910, citing her efforts in raising cubs. Backpack, named for his cubhood habit of riding on his mother Holly's back, will soon enter hibernation.