Grazer won her second Fat Bear Contest by defeating Chunk, the male bear that killed her cub. The competition was voted on by fans watching live cameras at explore.org in Katmai National Park and Preserve. Fans selected the bear they believed was best prepared for winter based on the fat they accumulated from feeding on salmon. Grazer’s cub died after slipping over a waterfall and being killed by Chunk, the dominant bear on the river. Another bear, supposed to be a contest participant, was killed by a male bear the day the brackets were to be released.
Grazer has blonde ears and a strong presence on Brooks River, while Chunk is one of the largest bears on the river with a scar across his muzzle. Adult male brown bears typically weigh 600 to 900 pounds mid-summer, but can exceed 1,000 pounds before hibernating after feasting on salmon. The annual contest, which drew over 1.3 million votes last year, celebrates the resiliency of the 2,200 brown bears in the preserve. Katmai has become a popular tourist destination for bear viewing, with viewing stands built on the river for visitors to watch bears fish for salmon. The contest highlights the impressive adaptation and survival skills of these bears in the wild.
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