Thank you to all who donated to the Otis Fund! Thanks to your efforts, and the generous 2x match from explore.org, we were able to raise $373,576.00!

Missed the broadcast? Click below to watch a recording of the celebration!



After a record number of sockeye salmon returned to Bristol Bay this summer, Fat Bear Week 2022 might be the biggest ever. Through the  explore.org bear cams, people from all over the world witnessed crowds of bears eagerly taking advantage of the bounty of returning salmon at Brooks Falls. From extra large female bears like 435 Holly and 128 Grazer to huge adult males like 747 and 151 Walker, the enormous brown bears of Brooks River have been packing on the pounds and are ready for the big competition! Can 480 Otis win his fifth Fat Bear Week title, or will another bear steal the crown? Bears 747 and 32 Chunk are giants, but do they have what it takes to hibernate with the title of 2022 Fat Bear Week champion?

“With each passing year, I find myself more in love with the brown bears,” says explore.org founder Charlie Annenberg Weingarten. “From 747 to the beloved Otis and the relationship between sisters 909 and 910 and their cubs, the magic of the bears never ceases to amaze. It is a privilege to be a steward for Katmai National Park and work alongside the Katmai Conservancy and park rangers. Fat Bear Week is for the fans! It is a party that celebrates the March Madness of Nature!”

Inform your vote by comparing early and late summer photos of the bears.  Meet the bears and consider each bear’s life history and the unique challenges it faces in order to survive. Campaign for your Fat Bear Week candidate by using #FatBearWeek on social media. Whet your appetite for Fat Bear Week with Fat Bear Junior on September 29 and 30. Your vote in Fat Bear Junior decides which cub joins the Fat Bear Week tournament.

There’s no fat shaming in Fat Bear Week. Fat bears exemplify the richness of Katmai National Park and Bristol Bay, Alaska – a wild region that is home to more brown bears than people and the largest, healthiest runs of sockeye salmon left on the planet. Learn more at  fatbearweek.org and watch live, streaming footage of the bears at Brooks River every day on  explore.org.

Be sure to join us on October 15 at 4 p.m. Eastern / 12:00 p.m. Alaska for the Katmai Conservancy’s annual online Fat Bear Week Celebration Fundraiser! We’ll celebrate the 10th anniversary of the bear cams and the 2022 bear cam season, highlight the Fat Bear Week champion, and learn more about the Katmai Conservancy’s important work in support of Katmai National Park and Preserve.

Watch the event on  explore.org’s Brooks Live Events channel.

Fat Bear Week in the News

6/26: USA Today – Fat Bear Week Appears to Have Early Frontrunner
9/23: Alaska Sporting Journal – Fat Bear Week
9/23: Outsider – Get Ready, Fat Bear Week 2022 is Coming
9/24: National Parks Traveler – Katmai’s Fat Bear Week 2022
9/24: Anchorage Press – Celebrate Fat Bear Week 2022
9/26: Washington Post – Fat Bear Week
9/27: Backpacker Magazine – Fat Bear Week is Here
9/27: Interior Newswire – Fat Bear Week 2022
9/29: Anchorage Daily News – Spotlight on Chubby Cubbies
9/29: Geo Week News – Supporting Fat Bear Week with Laser Scanning
9/30: Wall Street Journal – Thousands Tune In To Watch Otis
10/3: Washington Post – What is Fat Bear Week?
10/3: Out There Colorado – Fat Bear Week Competition Returns
10/3: USA Today – Fat Bear Week 2022
10/3: Washington Post – Fat Bear Week 2022 Bracket
10/5: Smithsonian Magazine – What is Fat Bear Week?
10/6: Today Show – Fat Bear Week 2022