A looming US federal government shutdown threatens to claw its way into a crowd-pleasing Alaska tradition: Fat Bear Week.
Alaska's most-watched popularity contest, Fat Bear Week involves residents picking their favourite fat brown bear who has been stocking up for winter on salmon in Katmai National Park & Preserve.
Viewers of the bears online vote in tournament-style brackets for those they want to advance to the next round until a champion is chosen in the week-long contest.
More than 1 million votes were cast last year.
The problem is, national park employees count and release those votes – and a shutdown will not allow them to do so because it would trigger a ban on using the park's official social media accounts for as long as the government is closed.
“Should a lapse happen, we will need to postpone Fat Bear Week,” Cynthia Hernandez, a park representative, said.
If Congress does not reach an agreement to fund the federal government, operations will shut down on Sunday. This year's Fat Bear Week contest is set to begin on Wednesday.
The National Park Service estimates that 2,200 brown bears inhabit the park, a number exceeding the people who live on the peninsula. They have six to eight months to eat a year’s worth of food and ensure their survival through winter, according to the service.
The Katmai brown bears are famous for standing at Brooks Falls, catching sockeye salmon in their mouths to fatten up for the winter. And they are a huge draw for the park on the Alaska Peninsula, the arm of land extending from Alaska’s south-west corner towards the Aleutian Islands about 402 kilometres south-west of Anchorage.
The spectacle draws so many visitors that three viewing stands have been erected near the falls, along with a bridge and boardwalk over the Brooks River to allow visitors to avoid the bears.
Several cameras operated by explore.org provide the live streams of the bears at Katmai.
Alaska brown bears – in pictures
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435 Holly. Photo: NPS Photo -
747. Photo: NPS Photo -
284. Photo: NPS Photo -
128 Grazer. Photo: NPS Photo -
151 Walker. Photo: NPS Photo -
32 chunk. Photo: NPS Photo -
Otis the bear weighs more than 450 kilograms. Reuters -
Bear 747 was named after the jumbo airliner. Photo: of L Law -
Bear 856 is one of the most dominant bears in his habitat in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Photo: L Law -
Bear 164 was first identified as a sub-adult in 2019 and is about 6 years old. Photo: T Carmack -
Otis the bear has won Fat Bear week four times. Photo: L Law -
This photo shows a rotund Bear 901 as voters select the fattest bear in Alaska. Photo: L Law -
Bear 854, named Divot, hunts for salmon in the river. Photo: K Moore -
Bear 435, named Holly, is just 2.5 years old. Photo: E Johnston -
This photograph shows a slimmed-down version of Bear 435. Photo: T Carmack -
Bear 335 is from Holly the bear's most recent litter, the NPS said. Photo: K Moore -
Bear 32, named Chunk, is one of the most dominant bears in the falls, the US National Park Service said. Photo: L Law -
Bear 32 searches for fish in the river. Photo: L Law -
Bear 151 hopes to catch a fresh salmon as it bulks up for winter. Photo: L Law -
Bear 854, named Divot, prowls the falls in Alaska. Photo: K Moore -
Bear 128, named Grazer, is one of the more dominant female bears in the falls, the NPS said. Photo: L Law -
Bear 128, like all of Alaska's brown bears, has put on considerable weight before hibernation season. Photo: L Law -
This photo shows a slimmed-down Otis. Photo: C Rohdenberg -
Bear 856 is about 20 years old. Photo: C Rohdenberg -
This photo shows a slimmed-down Bear 747. Photo: C Rohdenberg -
Votes are being cast in the US to determine which bear will win Fat Bear Week 2022. Photo: T Carmack -
More than 800,000 votes were cast in last year's Fat Bear Week. Photo: T Carmack -
Bear 335 struts around Katmai National Park in Alaska. Photo: T Carmack -
Leaner times: Otis the bear stands in a river at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Reuters -
Otis, known for his flappy right ear, does not let his missing teeth deter him from chowing down on fresh salmon. Reuters -
Brown bear cub 128, front, stands by a river fattening up before hibernation at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Reuters -
Brown bear cub 909 is getting ready for hibernation season by fattening up before its months-long rest. Reuters -
Brown bear 503 stands in a river hunting for salmon to fatten up before hibernation at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Reuters -
Brown bear 128 stands in a river hunting for salmon. Reuters -
Brown bear 435. Grizzlies are omnivores that also gorge on berries. Reuters -
Brown bears used to roam widely across the US. Now they are found only in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. AP
