The winner of the Fat Bear Week contest revealed
The winner of this year's Fat Bear Week contest has been revealed.
In a rematch from last year, two competitors went face-to-face in the final round of the contest, which is in its 10th year.
The annual competition showcases the bears of Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.
Click through to see this year's competitors and their transformations.
Bear 128 Grazer
Embattled mother bear Grazer has retained the crown after she more than doubled her nearest rival's vote count in the online competition.
She garnered 71,248 votes to the other bear's 30,468 votes.
Voters appeared to be moved by Grazer's story and the adversity she has overcome.
The defensive mother bear has raised three litters.
But back in July, both of her first-year cubs were swept over the Brook Falls, where the Katmai bears gather to fatten up on salmon ahead of their winter hibernations.
According to the voting administrators, Explore.org, the rushing water swept her cubs toward Chunk, currently the most dominant male bear on the river.
As male bears sometimes do, Chunk went on the offence and injured the nearest cub, who later died from its injuries.
The surviving cub, called 128's Spring Cub, was a contender in the 2024 Fat Bear Junior contest held in late September.
Bear 32 Chunk
Chunk is the runner-up in this year's competition.
This summer has left no doubt of his size, strength and dominance in the face of competition.
No bear on the river challenged Chunk successfully for fishing spots.
Bears that were unwary or unlucky found themselves under threat when he was nearby.
This dominance paid off with a glorious salmon haul.
Webcam viewers counted Chunk eating 42 salmon in about 10 hours on August 26.
Bear 856
Fellow competitor, Bear 856, established himself as one of the biggest bears at the national park with an assertive disposition to match his size.
But this year he faced increasingly difficult challenges from several long-time rivals.
A few months ago he appeared unable to defend his status like in years past, but instead of fighting battles he was unlikely to win 856 changed his strategy.
He became more patient in his attempts to access productive fishing spots and he yielded space to other large bears instead of standing his ground.
Bear 151 Walker
Walker ranks high in the hierarchy of bears at Brooks River and shows much less tolerance for other bears compared to his younger self.
He establishes and maintains his dominance at Brooks Falls by displacing other bears from preferred fishing spots.
In a significant change from previous years, Walker was able to displace long-time rival 856.
His confidence in using his size shows in other ways as well.
Bear 164 Bucky Dent
For some bears that means remaining patient for opportunity or showing aggression to force their way into a fishing spot.
Bear 164 chose a different strategy.
He invented a new fishing spot.
By standing at the edge of the deepest plunge pool, nearly under the cascade at Brooks Falls, 164 discovered that he could catch salmon welling up from the pool below.
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