A mother brown bear’s fierce determination and impressive appearance have contributed to her winning the title in this year’s Fat Bear Week contest.

Bear 128 Grazer, whose cub was tragically killed in July, has been declared the champion of the 2024 Fat Bear Week, an annual celebration by the National Park Service highlighting the healthy appetites of brown bears before their winter hibernation.

Receiving over a million votes, Grazer defeated her contender, Chunk, a massive male bear weighing over 1,200 pounds, marking her second championship title, having already beaten Chunk last year.

Grazer garnered more than 70,000 votes, while Chunk, who is estimated to be around 30 years old, received nearly 30,000 votes.

Grazer’s Loss After Chunk’s Attack

In 2005, Grazer was brought to Brooks River in Katmai National Park and Preserve as a cub. She gave birth to two first-year cubs in 2024.

In July, after one of her cubs died due to an incident where they tumbled over a waterfall, Grazer faced a tragic moment. The cubs were swept downstream near Chunk, described as “the most dominant bear on the river” by explore.org, which monitors the bears with live cameras.

During this encounter, Chunk attacked the cubs resulting in the death of one, but Grazer displayed remarkable bravery while trying to protect her young.

“Grazer and her surviving cub (who also competed in the 2024 Fat Bear Junior Week) have focused on preparing for winter, which seems to be successful as both are looking quite plump,” remarked Mike Fitz, founder of Fat Bear Week. “Grazer is an incredibly skilled and adaptable bear but her story this year is a reminder that even the bravest mother bears face challenges and loss.”

Delay in Fat Bear Week Due to Bear Fatality

This year’s voting was pushed back one week after a participant was tragically killed in a confrontation with another bear at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve.

Live video captured the event where bear number 469, an adult male named Patches, attacked bear number 402, an older female, while both were in the water, leading to an immediate suspension of the contest’s announcements.

Celebrating ‘Fatness and Success’

This marks the 10th anniversary of Fat Bear Week, which began in 2014.

The champion is determined by public votes for the bear that best represents the qualities of “fatness and success,” as stated on the contest’s website.

It will be interesting to see if the 2024 winner has another cub, adding to her legacy next year.

Go, mama bear!