As It Happens Fat Bear Week is upon us once again

When you're a brown bear, the best thing you can be is really, really fat.

That's why, every fall, Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve hosts its annual Fat Bear Week contest, allowing nature lovers to vote for their favourite fuzzy fatty.

It's not only a celebration of the park's beloved and beefy brown bears, but also of the thriving ecosystem that allows them to put on the pounds they need to survive the long winter and raise successful cubs.

"When we see these bears get fat, it's really cute and it's really fun. But it is so, so important that they pack on that weight," Ashleigh Monaco, a ranger at Katmai National Park, told host Nil Kӧksal.

"A fat bear means it's a successful bear."

Meet the contestants

Fat Bear Week s

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