Battle of the Bears: Will the young cub 806 Jr triumph over the experienced victors in Fat Bear Week 2023?

An adorable spring cub named 806 Jr has gained an astonishing 7,000% of bodyweight since his birth less than a year ago. Weighing in at 70 pounds (31 kg), he is now participating in the highly anticipated Fat Bear Week competition. Fat Bear Week, established in 2014 by former park ranger Mike Fitz, has become a huge phenomenon with over a million votes cast last year to determine the fattest bear. In Katmai National Park in Alaska, the brown bears gather along the Brooks River to feast on salmon swimming upstream, aiming to gain as much weight as possible before winter. Twelve bears are selected for the Fat Bear Week bracket, and fans can vote online to determine the winner. 806 Jr is currently the reigning 2023 Fat Bear Junior Champion, but can he outshine the more experienced bears? The current favorites for this year's competition are 480, also known as Otis, and 747, or Colbert, both weighing around 1,200 pounds. The contest is not limited by bear gender, size, or age, making it an interesting and unpredictable competition. The Fat Bear Week livestream, maintained by explore.org, attracted approximately 10 million viewers in 2022, who tuned in to watch the bears compete for the best fishing spots. As Mr. Fitz explains, dominant bears like Colbert have the advantage of not being challenged by other bears, allowing them to claim the prime fishing spots whenever they want. Despite being older and missing some teeth, Otis, a four-time champion, is still considered a strong contender. Brown bears in Katmai National Park need to consume a year's worth of food in just six months to survive the winter. A bear's successful day of fishing can yield around 10 salmon, although they are capable of consuming much more. In fact, Mr. Fitz witnessed a bear devouring 42 salmon, equivalent to approximately 189,000 calories, in just five hours. Some bears have been known to consume up to 6,000 pounds of food during their summer-fall feast. This abundance of food can result in significant weight gain, with spring cubs like 806 Jr experiencing some of the largest increases. At birth, these cubs weigh only about 1 pound, but by the end of fall, they can exceed 70 pounds. Young-adult cubs can double their body weight during the same period, going from 200 to 400 pounds. The largest males can gain anywhere from 200 to 300 pounds and reach weights of up to 1,600 pounds by the end of summer. However, mother bears face particular challenges in gaining weight due to the energy they expend protecting their cubs and producing milk. Despite this disadvantage, smaller bears like Holly, also known as 435 or "supermom," have triumphed in previous Fat Bear Week competitions. Holly, weighing around 800 pounds, won the competition in 2019, proving that size doesn't always determine the winner. Fat Bear Week is not solely about the fattest bear, but rather about celebrating the diversity and success of brown bears. Fans can cast their votes on Explore.org's website between October 4th and 10th, from 12:00-21:00 EST (16:00-01:00 GMT). The competition initially attracted only a few thousand votes in its debut year but has now gained a global following. In fact, the livestream has become so popular that viewers recently discovered and rescued a stranded hiker while searching for bears.