Fat Bear Week , a beloved tradition that marks the beginning of the hibernation season, has been delayed after a fatal fight broke out between two bears at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Each year, Katmai National Park in southern Alaska celebrates its brown bears by creating a bracket-style competition , in which fans can vote on their favorite and fattest bear. While this year’s bracket was set to be unveiled on Monday, September 30, a fatal fight between two Alaskan grizzlies has postponed the competition.
The two bears – one male, named both 402 and “Patches,” and one female, named 402 – were captured on the park’s livestream fighting each other by the Brooks River. The attack resulted in the death of 402, who sank into the water. Mike Fritz – who works for Explore.
org, which hosts Fat Bear Week – spoke about the fight during a livestream , as he explained the voting would be delayed . “Earlier today, a bear killed another bear on the river. It was caught live on the webcams and we thought, well, we can’t go ahead with our Fat Bear Week bracket reveal without addressing this situation first,” he said, revealing the fight was likely started over food.
“We love to celebrate the success of bears with full stomachs and ample body fat,” he added. “But the ferocity of bears is real, the risks that they face are real, their lives can be hard, and their deaths can be painful.” During the livestream, Katmai Park ranger Sarah Bruce reveal.