7 Shocking Moments And The Unstoppable Champion Of Fat Bear Week 2025
The annual celebration of ursine girth and survival, Fat Bear Week, has once again concluded, and the results from Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska are in. As of today, December 22, 2025, the dust has settled on the highly-anticipated bracket competition that ran from September 23 to September 30, 2025, crowning a champion whose journey was a true testament to resilience and the sheer power of a successful summer feast.
This year’s contest, which celebrates the brown bears’ incredible success in bulking up for their winter hibernation, was arguably the most dramatic in its history, featuring a field of 12 massive contenders. The ultimate winner, a fan-favorite who has faced years of heartbreaking near-misses, finally secured the coveted title of the world’s fattest bear.
The 2025 Fat Bear Week Champion: Bear 32 Chunk
The 2025 Fat Bear Week Champion is the magnificent Bear 32 Chunk. His victory is not just a win for his impressive weight gain but a powerful narrative of perseverance, making his story one of the most compelling in the tournament’s history.
- Bear Number: 32
- Name: Chunk
- Gender: Male
- Approximate Age: Estimated to be in his late teens (as of 2025)
- Key Characteristics: Large, light-colored ears, a prominent scar above his right eye, and a distinctive dark brown muzzle. He is known for his calm, patient demeanor, often waiting for prime fishing spots to open up at Brooks River.
- Notable History: Chunk has been a perennial favorite and a dominant presence, but he has frequently fallen short in the final rounds, including a loss to 128 Grazer in the 2023 competition.
- 2025 Victory: He was crowned the champion after a hard-fought final matchup against the formidable Bear 856, overcoming a previous injury—a broken jaw—that he had to manage while packing on the pounds.
The 2025 Bracket Breakdown: A Battle of Behemoths
The Fat Bear Week bracket is a single-elimination tournament where voters compare the "before" (summer) and "after" (fall) photos of the bears to determine who has achieved the most impressive weight gain, a crucial indicator of survival success. The 2025 event, hosted by the National Park Service and Explore.org, saw millions of votes cast globally.
The Final Showdown: Chunk vs. 856
The final round pitted the eventual champion, 32 Chunk, against the legendary dominant male, Bear 856. Bear 856 is a massive, highly respected bear who has maintained a high level of dominance hierarchy at the Brooks River falls for years, often securing the best fishing spots.
Despite 856's impressive bulk and long-standing reputation as the river's "king," Chunk's transformation was deemed more dramatic by the voting public. Chunk's ability to transition from a relatively lean summer physique to a gargantuan, chubby winter coat resonated with fans. The final vote count saw Chunk defeat 856, securing his first-ever championship title.
The Unforgettable Contenders of 2025
The 2025 roster was stacked with fan favorites and rising stars, proving the depth of the bear population in Katmai. The competition is not just about the winner; it’s a celebration of every bear's survival journey.
- 128 Grazer: The fearsome female and reigning 2023 champion. Known for her protective nature and incredible fishing skills, she was a major threat in the early rounds.
- 480 Otis: The four-time champion (2014, 2016, 2017, 2021) and the undisputed legend of the falls. Otis, known for his patient and strategic fishing technique, is an elderly bear whose continued success is a marvel to watch. His presence alone adds immense topical authority to the event.
- 409 Beadnose: A former champion (2015) and mother to several successful bears, including 909. Her continued success in gaining weight remains a point of fascination for bear biologists.
- 128 Jr.: The winner of the "Fat Bear Jr." competition, a separate but related event that highlights the success of the younger, young adult bears.
The Science of Survival: Why Being the Fattest Bear Matters
Fat Bear Week is a fun, lighthearted event, but its core message is deeply rooted in the serious science of wildlife survival. The brown bears of Katmai National Park must gain an enormous amount of weight—sometimes doubling their body mass—to survive the long, harsh Alaskan winter during their winter hibernation.
The Sockeye Salmon Lifeline
The bears' ability to pack on the pounds is directly tied to the annual, massive run of sockeye salmon in the Brooks River. These calorie-rich fish are the primary food source. A successful bear, like 32 Chunk, can consume tens of thousands of calories per day during the peak summer and fall feeding season. This process is called hyperphagia—an intense period of excessive eating.
By the time Fat Bear Week concludes in late September, the largest males can weigh over 1,200 pounds, a staggering amount of stored energy that will sustain them until they emerge from their dens in the spring. The competition, therefore, is a celebration of a healthy ecosystem and successful resource management by the bears themselves.
How to Watch and Participate in Future Fat Bear Week Events
While the 2025 competition is over, the excitement surrounding Fat Bear Week continues to grow, drawing global attention to wildlife conservation efforts. The event is a joint effort between the National Park Service and the non-profit Katmai Conservancy, with live streams provided by Explore.org.
Fans can engage with the bears year-round through the famous "bear cams," which provide a live, unedited look at the bears fishing, resting, and interacting at the Brooks River. The sheer joy of watching these "biggest bruins" is what keeps the annual tradition alive. The 2026 event is expected to take place during the first week of October, following the pattern of previous years.
Keep an eye on the official Explore.org and Katmai National Park websites for the announcement of the 2026 dates and the reveal of the next bracket. Until then, we celebrate the incredible, resilient, and utterly massive 2025 champion, 32 Chunk, and the successful survival of all the bears who call the Alaskan wilderness home. His story proves that even after years of being the runner-up, a successful weight gain and an inspiring narrative can lead to a triumphant win.
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