Backpack, a 20-year-old brown bear, has been crowned the winner of Fat Bear Week at Alaska’s Katmai National Park. He secured the title by a margin of approximately 5,000 votes in the public tournament, which celebrates the bears' ability to consume large amounts of fish.
Known for sitting in solitude on his rock on the Brooks River, Backpack, whose formal name is Bear 89, weighs an estimated 1,200lbs (544kg). Alaska rangers announced his victory over runner-up Dancing Queen, also known as Bear 910.
The competition saw over 2.3 million online votes cast this year, with more than 200,000 votes in the final round. Katmai park ranger Sarah Bruce noted that Backpack benefited from a loyal fanbase, having been viewable on live cams since 2012.
Backpack's win follows his mother, Holly, who won the competition seven years prior. The US Department of the Interior congratulated Backpack on X, referring to him as the “lord of lard, earl of girth.”