This week is the anniversary of the Katmai Bearcam. It went online 10 years ago as a partnership between The National Park Service and explore.org.
This access to the Brooks Falls Bears has led to the worldwide celebration of Fat Bear Week, and has certainly brought awareness to the rather independent lives of these bears of Katmai.
15,393 people went through NPS orientation at Brooks Falls in 2021. That same year, 10.9 million people tuned into the bearcam online.
Katmai National Park & Preserve once again enter October Madness with their Fat Bear Week bracket.
Voting starts today, October 2, with Lefty taking on fan favorite Otis.
Four bears of Katmai have used their extensive girth to get a well earned bye: Chunk, the wide body #747, #503, and Holly.
Beadnose, or Bear #409
Surprisingly, Beadnose, the 2018 winner, did not make this year’s cut. So there will be no repeat champion.
The new winner will be crowned on Fat Bear Tuesday, October 8.
Katmai Bracketology
All images courtesy of Katmai National Park & Preserve
