The backstory of this year's Feat Bear Week winner

Fat Bear Week's winner has been announced. Here's a recap of the competitionPosted Wed 30 Sep 2026 at 1:07pmWed 30 Sep 2026 at 1:07pmA large male brown bear called 89 Backpack won this year's Fat Bear Week vote. (AP: Explore.org)A new champion has been crowned in this year's edition of Fat Bear Week.The annual online poll, which showcases brown bears in Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve, ended with a battle between two of the region's most titanic residents.If you're unfamiliar the popularity contest, or missed this year's festivities, our Fat Bear Week group chat will get you up to speed.Dannielle MaguireGeez, I'm hearing a lot of chatter about Fat Bear Week. What did I miss?!Elissa Fitzgerald89 Backpack was this year's heavyweight champ. I think he was a favourite among the livestream viewers.Georgie HewsonI just checked the final tally: 89 Backpack got about 103,000 votes while 910 had about 98,000. A pretty close result!Dannielle MaguireWho? Why is he called Backpack?Elissa Fitzgerald89 Backpack's name is a reference to how he would climb onto his mother's back when swimming in the river. His mother Holly won Fat Bear Week in 2019. About 20 years old, he's known for being a calm fella. While most adult male bears show aggression to their competitors, Backpack uses a quiet strength to gain access to his favourite fishing spots.Elissa FitzgeraldTechnically both finalists are nepo babies. 910's mother, 409 Beadnose, won Fat bear Week in 2015 and 2018.Georgie HewsonCheck out the before-and-after photos of the adults!Dannielle MaguireAs a Paddington superfan, I'm thrilled to see all this bear chat but I don't really get what Fat Bear Week is.Georgie HewsonIt's like a popularity contest for a group of bears living in this one specific national park in Alaska.Elissa FitzgeraldIt was started by a fellow bear enthusiast! Back in 2012, cameras were installed throughout the park so people could watch live streams of the bears fishing for salmon. And people got right into it. It had a huge following.Dannielle MaguireSounds like a soothing watch!Elissa FitzgeraldSuper relaxing. One year, a viewer posted a before-and-after comparison of how much one of the bears had beefed up. This blew up on social media and eventually led to park rangers capitalising on the fan interest and starting up the week-long comp.Georgie HewsonI think it's safe to say we all appreciate them for kick-starting one of the most wholesome events on the internet calendar.Dannielle MaguireSo it's an online vote?Georgie HewsonYep, and people all over the world vote for their favourite bears.Dannielle MaguireSo what's it got to do with the bears beefing up?Elissa FitzgeraldThe bears are bulking up so they can survive off their fat stores when they hibernate for winter. They're basically prepping for a months-long famine.Dannielle MaguireOhhh yeah, it's spring here, which means it's autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. How much do you reckon you need to eat before hibernation?Georgie HewsonI saw Katmai rangers saying the bears can eat more than 30 salmon a day. I can't imagine having the same meal every day 🥴Elissa FitzgeraldI've just done the maths on that. With salmon about 4,500 calories a pop, it means these ursine bodybuilders have a typical daily intake of about 135,000 calories! And I thought my bulking seasons were gnarly…Dannielle MaguireThat's a lot of food! So how does this competition work? How does a bear win?Elissa FitzgeraldThey have knockout rounds, like the World Cup. Here's how it looked this year:The voting system is structured a bit like the World Cup tournament. (Explore.org)Georgie HewsonPeople are told to vote for "the bear you believe best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears".Dannielle MaguireSo it's not about kilos, but more the vibe of the thing?Elissa FitzgeraldYeah, pretty much.Dannielle MaguireWho were you lot wanting to win? I didn't mind that 164 Bucky fella…Elissa FitzgeraldI stuck with the reigning champ, 32 Chunk. He copped a broken jaw last year and learned to adapt to his disability. Before that, he had been a Fat Bear Week runner-up four times, so I was happy to see the corpulent king defending his title. Too bad Bucky knocked him out in the first round!Georgie HewsonI liked 131 Marshmallow — she had the cutest name. Apparently, this year she got "proportionally fatter than she has ever been". I have to root for a woman in a male-dominated field. Go girl!Elissa FitzgeraldSpeaking of cute, I loved seeing the family unit entries this year.Dannielle MaguireWas that a new thing?Georgie HewsonYes! We used to get the mini tournament, Fat Bear Week Junior, for the chubby cubbies, but that was scrapped. They competed with their mums in the big leagues this year 🥺Elissa FitzgeraldOne of the family units was 901 and her cub. During the season, 901 Jr was caught on the live stream with porcupine quills in its paw. Hopefully it learned an important lesson about playing with wildlife!Dannielle MaguireSo what was so good about this year's winner? Why do you reckon he won?Elissa FitzgeraldRiding on his mother's back is a pretty cute anecdote, and he sounds like a sweetheart. The comp's organisers said: "Backpack's quiet toughness has allowed him to find his niche alongside the biggest bears at Brooks River". Awww!Georgie HewsonPlus, he's a bit of an underdog. He had a leg injury in when he was little and didn't put on much weight that summer, so people were wondering if he would survive. Now look at him!Dannielle MaguireRightio, so what's the next animal-related, kind-of-weird-but-actually-really-quite-sweet internet event I should mark my calendar for?Dannielle MaguireExcuse me?