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.
Getting cozy on Round Island
This is one I didn’t know about: explore.org has a Walrus Cam out on Round Island in Alaska’s beautiful Bristol Bay. The Alaska Fish & Game offers walrus viewing permits between May 1 – August 15, which begs the question: How many do they issue?
As many as 14,000 walruses have been counted on Round Island at one time. If you go, you will also see tens of thousands of seabirds.
Before clicking on the link above, I should warn you that the Walrus Cam does not have the action of the Katmai Bear Cam. No salmon jumping, or bears catching salmon mid-air.
I will say that a walrus sure knows how to relax when visiting Alaska.
Photo & cam credit: explore.org
Thanks to the fine folks at explore.org, the Bear Cam is back up at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park & Preserve. The salmon are running (and jumping), so follow the link at the top, and check out the dining habits of some Alaskan brown bears.
Brown bears fishing at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park
The Katmai National Park Bear Cam is back up and running for the season. The camera overlooks Brooks Falls in the park, where the bears congregate to fish the salmon run.
The 6395 square mile park was established as a National Monument in 1918. Located on the Pacific side of the Alaska Peninsula, Katmai is home to approximately 2200 brown bears. It is considered to be one of the Seven Wildlife Wonders of the World.
The Bear Cam has once again been set up by explore.org. The link is below.
http://explore.org/live-cams/player/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls
