Fat Bear Week Winner of 2025

[DieJager]

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/01/travel/fat-bear-week-2025-winner

Looking at his facial expressions I think he is a stress-eater

 

[Zinz]

 

[Ridge Runner]

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/01/travel/fat-bear-week-2025-winner

Looking at his facial expressions I think he is a stress-eater

Nah...like most of us "oldie but goodie" guys, his facial expression is simply: this water never felt this cold in my younger days. My paws feel like blocks of ice. Where's the damn fish! I'm hungry and I need to warm my paws.

 

[Green Chile]

His feet aren't cold but his undercarriage is dragging and you can bet he feels that!

 

[Velo Dog]

Greetings Bear Enthusiasts,

Pictured below you can see a big male grizzly bear, sitting in the water, at the back of both my photos.
He is looking down into the pool where he waits for salmon to swim near.
I believe he is the same bear posted above by Zinz.
He looks darker in my photos, probably due to his coat being soaked with water.

I took my pictures via cell phone, in Katmai National Park, Brooks River Alaska, a little over 7 years ago.
If it is the same bear, he had not yet suffered that distinct broken lower jaw that he has now.
The injury perhaps was from a powerful slap during a serious fight, against another large specimen.

Regards,
Velo Dog.

 

[RLD]

Greetings Bear Enthusiasts,

Pictured below you can see a big male grizzly bear, sitting in the water, at the back of both my photos.
He is looking down into the pool where he waits for salmon to swim near.
I believe he is the same bear posted above by Zinz.
He looks darker in my photos, probably due to his coat being soaked with water.

I took my pictures via cell phone, in Katmai National Park, Brooks River Alaska, a little over 7 years ago.
If it is the same bear, he had not yet suffered that distinct broken lower jaw that he has now.
The injury perhaps was from a powerful slap during a serious fight, against another large specimen.

Regards,
Velo Dog.

I have read that the broken jaw is quite recent, and it is impressive he won with that handicap!

 

[Surgeon1]

Nah...like most of us "oldie but goodie" guys, his facial expression is simply: this water never felt this cold in my younger days. My paws feel like blocks of ice. Where's the damn fish! I'm hungry and I need to warm my paws.

And so cold his old gonads are up by his tonsils along with his jaw! If you have never been there
you won't see many sows or cubs mostly bores. That water is near freezing even in July.

 

[BeeMaa]

I have read that the broken jaw is quite recent, and it is impressive he won with that handicap!

The "handicap" doesn't seem to be slowing down his rate of consumption.

Improvise, adapt and overcome!

 

[uplander01]

That’s what you call the biggest, meanest som bitch on the block

 

[Ontario Hunter]

When I worked there (17 years ago?) one big bear who returned already for almost twenty years we called Snaggletooth because his jaw had been broken and healed up crooked with one lower canine tooth sticking out of his mouth at a wild angle. Grizzlies have an amazing capacity to heal from injuries. During the first salmon run in June-July one boar had a hole tore in his side that I could actually see his lung! No way would he survive! But he did. He showed up for second run in September fat and sassy. This fat guy will easily survive the winter but I don't think he'll be king of the hill next year. He will have a hard time grazing and foraging in the spring. If he makes it till first run, he has a chance of long term survival. But given his size, I think that will be a big if. It will take a lot of grass to keep him going till then. Some of the bears at Brooks for the salmon runs actually cross the Alaska Range from ocean side. Lots of easy early grub on the beaches there but he'd have to be in good shape when he wakes up to make it over next spring.

There are lots of sows and cubs at Brooks Camp. The more experienced sows learn that the big boars generally don't like being in the camp so the gals take cubs in and push them up a tree whilelakeshore. Camp is their daycare. Really screws things up re moving tourists around. When sows are in heat boars will follow them in camp but otherwise the big boys usually stick to the river or lakeshores.