It ’s that time of class when the air gets a little colder , the day get a fiddling forgetful , and the bear get much , much fatter . Every year , in celebration of the telling , pre - hibernation transformations of its dark-brown bears , Alaska ’s Katmai National Park and Preserve hosts a competition to determine which adipose tissue bear reign supreme . AsNPRreports , Holly ( a.k.a . Bear 435 ) is theofficial winnerof 2019 ’s Fat Bear Week .
In purchase order to construct enough mass to survive the wintertime , browned bears must eat ayear ’s worthof solid food in six months . After gobbling as much salmon as they can witness , their mass typically height in October , which is also when Katmai hold its annual competition .
This year , the park pitted 12 coastal brown bear against each other in a March Madness - elan wall bracket . image of the chunky contestants were shared on Facebook , and followers chuck votes for their favorite fat bears by " liking " them .
Hollybeat base runner - upLeftyby nearly 14,000 votes . The before - and - after shot above makes it promiscuous to see why : Between July 12 and September 22 , 2019 , she grew from a scrubby bear into a hulky beast . The preserve announced her winnings on Facebook , writing : " She is productive . She is fabulous . She is 435 Holly . And you vote her the 2019 Fat Bear Week Champion . All hail Holly whose good for you massiveness will help her hibernate until the spring . Long live the king of Corpulence ! "
Holly ’s new body is good for more than making her an cyberspace sensation . The fatter a bear is , the more likely it is to survive the winter . But other factors , likeclimate changewaking hibernating bears sooner than usual , still puzzle a threat .
[ h / tNPR ]
