**Chunk Crowned Winner of 2025 Fat Bear Week** Katmai National Park has announced the winner of the 2025 Fat Bear Week competition. Chunk, a brown bear weighing over 1,200 pounds, has claimed the title of heavyweight champion. The competition, which began in 2014, has gained global attention, drawing millions of votes each year. Chunk secured a total of 82,913 votes, defeating the runner-up, bear 856, who received 76,665 votes. Fat Bear Week features a single-elimination tournament format, where brown bears from the park compete in head-to-head matchups. Participants from around the world vote for the bear they believe exemplifies the most fatness and success. The National Park Service (NPS) described the event as a celebration of these bears, who have successfully consumed enough salmon to prepare for winter hibernation. Katmai Park Superintendent Mark Sturm stated, "Fat Bear Week enables people from around the world to work to actively engage in learning about bears while cheering for their favorite competitor." This year's competition included 11 bears, with Chunk and 856 being the final contenders. Another notable participant was bear 609, the 2022 Fat Bear Junior champion. The NPS highlighted that adult male bears in the Brooks River area typically weigh between 700 and 900 pounds, with some reaching up to 1,200 pounds. Adult females are generally smaller, weighing about one-third to one-half less than males. The bears are attracted to the abundant salmon in the area, which has been described as the "lifeblood of the region." The competition encourages public engagement through voting and viewing live cameras of the bears. Last year, 128 Grazer made history as the first female bear to win back-to-back titles. She was the first mother bear to achieve this feat, garnering around 1.2 million votes during the event. Although Grazer returned this year, she was ultimately unable to secure a third victory, losing to Chunk.