The nonprofit running the longstanding competition announced the results Tuesday. Backpack pulled in more than 100,000 votes, edging out runner-up Bear 910 with just over 50 percent of the poll. Fans and park watchers know Backpack for his calm, pacifist temperament, a trait that stood out even as he packed on the pounds needed to survive months without eating.
This is the contest's 12th year running. Katmai's bears spend the warmer months gorging on salmon along the park's rivers, and the wider they get, the better their odds of making it through hibernation. Fat Bear Week turns that survival strategy into a public spectacle. People far outside Alaska follow individual bears all summer, rooting for animals they've watched fatten up through seasonal photos, then vote for their favorite.
Backpack's win says something about what people respond to. A gentle bear beat out stiffer competition, proof that even in a contest built around bulk, personality still pulls votes.