Fat Bear Week in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve has gotten off to a roaring start notwithstanding its lethal and livestreamed foreshadowing Monday.
On the first day of voting Wednesday, a juvenile identified as Bear 909jr stood out as a huge crowd favorite as she collected 107,345 votes compared to a mere 8,898 for Bear 519. The victory followed 909jr’s earlier triumph in the annual contest’s junior competition and earned her an upcoming round with a formidable female popularly known as Grazer.
Folks, this could be one for the ages.
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Bear 909jr’s win in the juvenile division on Sept. 27 was her second victory in the contest, but Grazer won last year’s Fat Bear title and has the kind of poignant backstory that sportswriters love.
