Fat Bear Week voting begins after contestant bear was killed in attack

KING SALMON, Alaska (KKTV/Gray News) - Fat Bear Week, a beloved competition hosted by the National Park Service, was postponed after a deadly bear fight, officials say.

Fat Bear Week is a yearly tradition where the public gets to vote on the fattest bears as they get ready for hibernation.

According to Explore.org, the single elimination tournament allows for the public to vote on which bear “exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears,” and the winner of the matchup advances to the next round.

The contestants for Fat Bear Week were supposed to be revealed on Monday, but these plans were derailed when a previous contestant, bear #402, was killed by another bear, according to CBS.

The National Park Service said this incident was witnessed live on Katmai National Park’s webcams.

The reveal was postponed until Tuesday. The National Park Service said Explore.org hosted a public program to explain the situation in further detail.

The National Park Service reminded the public that each bear seen on the webcams is competing for survival, saying “National parks like Katmai protect not only the wonders of nature but also the harsh realities.”

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