In Alaska they are holding a competition for the plumpest bear (13 photos)

Alaska celebrates Fat Bear Week every year. This is a traditional festival and a kind of competition in which the largest bears of Katmai National Park compete. It is during the cold autumn months that bears actively eat and prepare for hibernation, and can weigh up to 450 kg. Let's take a look at this year's chubby contestants!





From mid-summer to fall, the average adult bear in Alaska gains up to 200 kilograms. This is how the bears prepare for the upcoming winter hibernation and accumulate fat. For example, a bear that weighed 270 kg in the summer may already weigh 450 kg in October. In this regard, Alaska organized a competition called “Fat Bear Week,” in which the fattest bear is chosen.



These photos show this year's "contestants" living in Katmai National Park. The most famous participant was a bear named Otis, who has already won the competition four times. He once ate 42 salmon in one sitting, and his fishing skills and patience are hard to beat. But even he has very fat and strong competitors this year.





When a bear enters hibernation, it has a decreased heart rate and lacks activity. Their bodies essentially use stored fat to stay alive. If bears don't have enough fat reserves, some may even die during hibernation. Therefore, the fattest bears have the best chance of survival.