He also has a fundraising project named after him - the Otis Fund, which has raised more than US$230,000 for Katmai research, education and bear-protection projects. In addition to his win, 480 Otis is one of the most popular bears at Katmai, having his own Facebook page. “As we celebrate like a true champ 480 is still chowing down.” “The people have spoken! The portly patriarch of paunch persevered to pulverize the Baron of Beardonkadonk,” tweeted the park after the votes were counted. Bears must fatten up before they hibernate for the winter, therefore, the bigger they get, the more likely they are to survive the winter months.
In Alaska's Bristol Bay, where part of the Katmai Park is located, brown bears outnumber human residents.
"While Otis occasionally appears to be napping or not paying attention, most of the time he's focused on the water, and he experiences a relatively high salmon catch as a result," park officials said. However, he is a terrific salmon catcher. Such uninhibited celebration of fatness feels quite thrilling in a culture that can be so squeamish about weight. An online competition relies on voters like you to determine the fattest of the fat. The bear that gets the most votes emerges. Every September since 2014, Katmai National Park in Alaska has held Fat Bear Week to celebrate its bears hard work preparing for hibernation.
In the event, members of the public are invited to view and vote for the fattest bear. Otis may not be the largest brown bear in the park, but his impressive backstory and hunting skills helped him win over an adoring public.Īs one of the oldest bears in the park, he has lost two canine teeth already and his other teeth are extremely worn. The Fat Bear Week usually runs from Sept. Walker was a formidable candidate as the park officials had estimated his weight to be more than 1,000lbs/453 kg, but Otis beat out the beefy runner-up to take the crown. A post shared by Katmai Nat'l Park & Preserve The story behind the chunky winner A generously girthed brown bear by the name of 480 Otis is again the winner of Fat Bear Week, the fourth time this ursine wonder has claimed the crown.