One of the most anticipated annual wildlife popularity contests has wrapped up, and a bulky, well-fueled brown bear known to fans as Backpack has taken home the 2024 crown. The beloved chunky bear captured the hearts of voters around the world, with one enthusiastic supporter praising the creature for boasting both impressive ‘chonk and the badonk’ — a testament to its successful summer of feasting ahead of the cold winter months.
Fat Bear Week, the viral annual competition hosted by Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve, celebrates the incredible survival strategy of brown bears in the region. Each year, park rangers and wildlife enthusiasts turn the annual fall feeding frenzy into a public vote, where fans rank bears based on how much weight they have packed on to survive the long hibernation period. For brown bears, bulk is not a flaw — it is a marker of a successful foraging season, and a key indicator that the bear will be able to make it through up to six months of sleep without food or water.
Backpack’s victory comes after weeks of public voting, where the bear outcompeted dozens of other competitors to claim the title. Now, as temperatures drop and salmon runs slow, the newly crowned champion is preparing to enter its winter den, where it will remain in hibernation for up to half a year. The annual contest has grown far beyond a simple online popularity contest, turning into a global platform that educates millions about brown bear ecology, the importance of healthy salmon ecosystems, and conservation efforts in Alaskan wild spaces. Millions of people from around the world tune in each year via livestream to watch the bears feed, and cast their votes for their favorite well-fueled competitor, turning the event into one of the internet’s most beloved annual wildlife traditions.