An addictive wildlife-watching contest that began with bloodshed ended amicably Tuesday with the crowning of a fierce and fabulous female named Grazer as winner of the 2024 Fat Bear contest.
A mother who lost one of her cubs earlier this year, the bear officially named 128 Grazer collected 71,248 votes from an audience watching the action unfold via webcam in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. The other finalist dining al fresco in the sockeye salmon-rich Brooks River, a male behemoth named 32 Chunk, garnered 30,468 votes.
This is Grazer’s second victory, as she also took the title last year.
“She’s a bear in which we can find many characteristics to admire,” Mike Fitz, a resident naturalist with Explore.org, said of the winner during the livestreamed finals Tuesday. “She’s incredibly skilled. Grazer can fish nearly anywhere. She has the strength and agility to capture salmon while running through the water. She’s good at scavenging salmon all throughout the river as well.”
