Whew. That was close. One of my favorite events of the year almost didn’t happen. Fat Bear Week. Why? The government shutdown.
CNN reports that the stopgap funding approved over the weekend allows the annual voting for the fattest bear to go on. The national park stays open and the park rangers get paid.
In case you don’t know, Fat Bear Week happens at the Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. 12 contestants compete for biggest bear.
It’s kinda like the NCAA brackets, but a lot simpler. The Katmai park rangers pit one bear against another. The public votes to see which bear advances to the next round.
This year’s contenders: 32 Chunk. 128 Grazer. 151 Walker. 164 Bucky Dent. 284 Electra. 402 Bear. 428 Bear. 435 Holly. 480 Otis. 747 Bear. (He’s a big boy, hence the name) 901 Bear. 806 Junior.
The best part of all this is the before and after pics. Just how fat these bears get before their long hibernation naps is amazing.
Another cool thing is the live cam of the bears catching salmon in the river. You can see all of it at: www.fatbearweek.org.
I guess I should thank Kevin McCarthy for allowing Fat Bear Week to happen this year. Sorry that it cost you your job as Speaker of the House.