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How many people voted in Fat Bear Week this year?

Answer: More than a million.

A brown bear fishing in the Brooks River in Alaska.
A brown bear fishing in the Brooks River in Alaska.
Shutterstock
Every year, the brown bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park descend upon the Brooks River in late summer and early fall to fatten up on salmon before they go into hibernation for the winter. And every year, the denizens of the Internet descend upon the livestreams of the river where you can catch the bears in action. It all culminates in Fat Bear Week in the beginning of October, when all the viewers get to vote on which bear has fattened up the best and crown the year’s champion.

It’s become an incredibly popular Internet event, made even more special this year when it was threatened by a potential government shutdown only to make a narrow escape at the last minute. Fat Bear Week recently ended on Oct. 10, and this year saw more than a million people voting for their favorite chonky bears.

This year’s winner was female bear 128 Grazer, who received a whopping 108,321 votes to beat male 32 Chonk with just 23,134. “She’s beauty and she’s grace, she stuffed so much salmon in her face,” the National Park Service said of Grazer on Facebook. “Grazer’s combination of skill and toughness makes her one of Brooks River’s most formidable, successful and adaptable bears, who is well prepared for winter.”
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